Wake
by JesterChester
Summary: They were all at different places and no one was going to be able to save anyone else if they didn't try. Some things are just about love, but this was about so much more. Love was the easy part, getting there was the struggle.
1. Her Eyes

**Alright so this is either going to be a Pezberry or Faberry story, at this point I'm actually not sure. It's AU because of the Fabray twins and because Quinn doesn't get pregnant. I don't know what I'm doing anymore, just tell me what you guys think. I just wanted to get all the POVS in this first chapter; I can't promise the other chapters will be this long. Enjoy. **

Santana's POV

"Quinn! Calm the fuck down!" I grabbed her shoulders and slammed her back up against the locker. She hadn't stopped freaking out since we got in here, the whole point of being in here in the first place was to get away from everyone. She'd been freaking out since lunch, I don't know what happened, one minute I was taking a bite of my sandwich and the next Quinn had slammed her fist down on the table.

We'd had moments like this. All the time actually. It would be different if Brittany was here, I mean here right now, Quinn would've softened up. Quinn knew she didn't have to bullshit with me, I could take the heat, but Brittany can't.

I'm her best friend, and that should be all the matters. In moments like this though, when I don't know how I can help or what I can do, none of that seems to matter.

"It just pisses me off so much! Dammit!" She slammed her fist into the locker behind her and went to do it again when I grabbed her wrist to stop her. If I knew what the fuck she was even talking about then I'd be able to help.

"So you gonna break your hand and get your ass kicked off the Cheerios?" I yelled.

"Wouldn't that be something? Perfect head cheerleader falls to her demise. I'd do it out of spite and you know I would." She had that look in her eyes. It was something I noticed when we were younger. When she was determined, she was ruthless, and when she was ruthless, her eyes darkened.

"You're talking crazy. Fuck if I know what you're even talking about. You wouldn't drop your status anyway…not even out of spite." Quinn shrugged her shoulders and sat down on the bench lying between the two sets of lockers. I sat down next to her and thought for a moment. "What's your deal?"

"Puck." There it was. One fucking syllable and it all comes crashing down for her. They weren't together, they didn't have to be, but…it's complicated. "He doesn't look at me, not anymore."

"I thought you didn't like him Quinn." I said. "And even if you do…get the fuck over it." I had to be harsh, especially now. People around school had been talking, they thought that Quinn was losing her high and mighty status, they thought she was weak. I'd bet the losers at the bottom would pay millions to see her right now. Punching lockers because Puck doesn't notice her anymore. "He's a player anyway and he'll break your heart. Stop looking at me like that, I'm just trying to help you."

"He's not that bad…San I swear he was really sweet-."

"Yeah when he was trying to fuck you!" I snapped, but I didn't mean it. It was months ago, actually it might have been my fault. Quinn had come over to a party at my place, and she'd gotten drunk and slept with Puck. It was wrong on so many levels. I even had to go out, buy her pregnancy test, and sit on her bathroom floor while the tests showed negative every single time. She didn't even thank me for holding her when she cried over her _sins_, she didn't even tell me what a good friend I was, she just kicked me out of there after four hours and the next day when she tried to apologize I told her to fuck off. Because that's what kind of friends we were. "You won't let this go…and I know why."

"Because you're so fucking smart, right?" Quinn said in a hushed yet harsh tone.

"Yeah actually I am." I informed her. "And even if I wasn't it wouldn't be hard to see that you want Puck for his bad boy attitude, you want to tell your parents to shove it…it would be something if you actually did."

…

Quinn's POV

Santana was right. I was doing this to get back at my parents. I liked Puck, but not in that way. I had the right to act like this, right? I'm not an idiot. I know how my family is and that's a bunch of lying conservative WASPs. It's who we are, and that'll never change.

"Quinn you gonna give me a ride home or what?" Santana yelled from across the field. She was already jogging to catch up with me so I figured I didn't have much of a choice. "Thanks Q." Santana said with a small smile.

"Didn't think I had much of a choice." I mumbled as I pulled out of the parking lot. "Am I taking you home?" Santana actually laughed. She laughed and for a second I didn't think she would stop. It was one of those uncomfortable laughs, those ones where I didn't know if I was supposed to laugh too.

"Not going back there for a bit. Can I chill at yours?" She didn't have to ask. I'd take her in any day and I hoped she knew that.

"Yeah of course…something happen at your place?" I knew I had to tread cautiously. Santana wasn't going to talk about it, but I guess she didn't have to. "Don't tell me, just stay at my place." I said thinking better of getting into the topic.

"Are mama and papa home?" Santana asked when we pulled into my driveway. I didn't see any cars so I assumed they were still out. My mom's probably grocery shopping and my dad is probably at church, which meant I didn't need to explain to them why Santana was spending the night.

We grabbed our duffle bags and got out of my car. Sure we'd change out of our cheerleading uniforms but we were still wearing WMHS sweatpants and t-shirts. I don't think we'd ever be able to escape that damn place, even if we're miles from it now. I opened the front door to my house and tossed my bag on the couch. Santana watched me but placed her bag down on the rug out of the way and went to take off her shoes.

I knew Santana better than anyone. She was a total ragging bitch at school, but when she got away from that place, everything changed. She was sweet and so respectful in the right situations; sometimes I actually wanted to piss her off just to get her to say something rude. I heard footsteps coming up the stairs and I glanced over to the kitchen to check to see who it was.

"Oh it's just you." I said.

"Yeah it's just me. Who else would it be?" I looked at Charlie and rolled my eyes. Seriously she could just piss me off over nothing. I walked into the kitchen and Santana followed. Charlie went straight to the refrigerator and pulled out three sodas tossing one to both Santana and I respectably.

"I thought maybe mom was home or something. Where did she go?" I asked and Charlie just shrugged. I only regretted one thing in my life. I mean of course I had more regrets than just one, but one always stuck out. I wish I was as confident as Charlie. My twin. Damn my twin.

"I dunno." Charlie said taking a seat at the kitchen table. "Hey Santana, what's goin on?" Charlie said with a grin. So Charlie and Santana weren't friends, they both were too aggressive and confident to ever be friends, but they were civil. Santana was over here enough to know how Charlie acted all the time and she really didn't mind that much.

"Nothing dweeb." Santana said rubbing Charlie's head. "You know Quinn I actually like the pink in Charlie's hair. I know you said she looks like a freak but I kinda think it's cool, in a goth sort of way." Charlie turned her chair so that she was facing me.

"You said I look like a freak?" Charlie questioned. "Typical jealous Quinnie." Patronizing asshole. That's why Charlie is so annoying sometimes. She can literally get away with anything but everything she does is so unexpected and that's what everyone expects. Insane logic, but it's the truth.

"I'm not jealous Charlie-."

"Alright you two, settle your shit. I'm gonna go upstairs and chill." Santana said sensing an argument coming on. I would've told her that she should stay, considering she _did_ start this, but I let her go upstairs, I'd complain about it later.

"Charlie." I said when I realized that Charlie was less interested in talking to me than I was in talking to her. "Charlie look at me."

"What do you want?"

"Why would you think I'd ever be jealous of you?" I questioned.

"Maybe because I'm not an uptight ragging bitch." Charlie said with a smile. "Mind if I chill upstairs with you and Tana?" She was already headed towards the steps when I reached out and stopped her.

"You don't actually think that. Charlie you don't-…you don't think that."

"No, of course I don't." I could tell she was serious about that but it didn't make it hurt any less. I grabbed my soda and followed Charlie upstairs towards my room where Santana was sprawled out and looking through a book. I could tell she was just looking at it and not actually reading, because she had music playing. I knew she couldn't read with any noise around her.

"Hey you guys done fighting? I really don't plan on playing mediator today." Santana said without looking up at either one of us.

"Yep, scoot loser." Charlie said and Santana scooted over without even complaining. I thought about if I'd said that to her, she literally would've had a fit and cursed me out in two different languages. "When's your competition, is that this weekend?" Charlie knew when it was, how could she not? Sue had been preparing us for this for at least four months and my whole family was supposed to come.

"Yeah and you'd better not bail." I told her. She looked over at Santana who had suddenly seemed to be interested in the conversation.

"I'm not, why do you think I would? Gotta support my little sis." Charlie said laughing.

"By three minutes Charlie, and you'd seriously better show. I'm not going to spend three hours in a car with mom and dad alone." The reason I was so worried about it was because Charlie had bailed on me. Last time it was because she was hungover and the time before it was because she'd gotten into a fight. There was always some reason; she had a stupid excuse for everything. Not this time though, I needed Charlie there, she was my twin, we didn't share the same views on everything but we had the same fucking face so that has to mean something.

"I love spending time with mom and dad I don't know what you're talking about." Charlie said sarcastically.

"See now this is why I love hanging out here…lets me witness a family just as fucked up as mine." Santana said grinning.

"And of course you're here to see me. Everyone's here to see me." Charlie said playfully. "What are the chances that mom doesn't find out that I skipped school yesterday too?" This is why it was complicated. I mean it wasn't but Charlie always intensified things. She didn't go to WMHS, I mean she did freshman year, but now she's at this private school in the upper west side of Lima. It's a nice school, it's actually prestigious, and I bet Charlie would know that if she ever showed up for class.

"You're fucked Charlie." Santana said simply.

"Why'd you skip yesterday?" I asked her.

"I was hanging out with Wilson." Charlie said. Oh right Wilson. Like he was the sort of guy she should be hanging out with. He was a college dropout and I knew he had supplied Charlie with weed on more than one occasion. It was stupid and reckless of her to hang out with him, but she still did.

"What's with you and this Wilson guy? I mean he's bad news. As much as I give no fucks about what happens to you, if you show up on a gurney Quinn's gonna cry, and I hate when she does that." Classic Santana. She cared about Charlie and this was the only way for her to show that.

"I don't like him, May." That's when Charlie could see that I was serious. I only used her middle name when I was serious. The strange thing was that Charlie was born in December, but her middle name was May. I figured my parents just came up with something out of the blue; maybe there wasn't a time when everything was calculated. Maybe there was a time when they just allowed themselves to live. "And if dad finds out he's gonna freak."

"Well he won't find out, you know why?" Charlie questioned raising an eyebrow.

"No, why?" I responded.

"Because mom won't tell and Santana won't tell. Let's see, who does that leave?" I sat down on the edge of the bed and leaned back so that my elbows were resting on the covers. I wish just once that I had the edge over Charlie, but she always had leverage and this time it was about what happened with Puck.

"I never said I would even tell-."

"Look Quinn, we're sisters but we aren't friends. That's the difference here." Charlie was putting on a front. I tried to look into her eyes to see if this was all for Santana or just for herself. Charlie stood up and grabbed the soda can out of my hand.

"Hey that was fucked up Charlie-." I waved Santana off and we watched Charlie leave our room.

"Leave her. You know how she gets when…well, she's just moody like that all the time." I said trying to explain it to her.

"Okay…whatever you say Fabray." I smiled and so did Santana.

"Wait you didn't just make that rhyme on purpose did you?" All Santana did was grin more. "You're such a geek sometimes."

…

Rachel's POV

I should be honest. I didn't expect to see her here. Not hurriedly rushing out to her car, throwing in her duffle bag, and slamming the door shut. I watched her from where I was standing. I watched how for a moment she just stood there, putting her full weight on the car, and she slammed her fits into the top of her car before regaining her composure. I thought she was going to break down.

I was three stories up but I felt like I was a hundred miles away.

Santana was one of the popular girls at school. She was out there in jeans and a sweater and she looked like any other girl in the world. Vulnerable and afraid.

"Honey what are you looking at?" My father asked me. I quickly closed the blinds and walked back over towards the bed. I was supposed to be cleaning the room for the next patient. I didn't work here but I did help my father sometimes, mostly on the weekends.

"Oh nothing, you know how I get, daydreaming." He smiled and stuck his hands in the pockets of his pants. He watched me make the bed and smooth out every wrinkle in the fabric.

"Well just finish up in here and we can go grab something to eat." I nodded eagerly now suddenly excited to spend the afternoon with my father. Once he left, though, I walked back over to the window, opening the blinds.

There she was.

He back was against the car door and she was on the phone. Yelling. She was clearly yelling. I thought for a second about going out there and saying something to her.

That was a stupid thought.

I've never said a word to the girl ever. She has never noticed me and that's the way it'll always be. She needed someone to comfort her, or at least calm her down. I didn't know what was going on. She was at the hospital so she must have found out some bad news. Was she pregnant? Was it rude of me to assume something so dreadful? Maybe.

I did know that she was different though. Santana Lopez was different from all those other girls because in all honesty, I don't think she cares about the hype. And she shouldn't because it'll all be worthless in the future.

At least that's what my fathers tell me.

I'm not blind though. I know she's gorgeous and I know that she's holding a lot back. It's so blatantly obvious because no one can be so dismissive without holding so much back. I bent down to put something in the trash and I practically dragged my father on the elevator.

"What's the rush?" He questioned with one of those deep laughs that's not quite at the point of booming. I grabbed his hand and pulled him through the doors and towards our car. He unlocked the doors and went straight to the trunk to put some of his things in the back.

"Can I drive daddy?" I questioned trying to give him my best _I'm responsible_ smile I could muster up. He told me to wait a moment and I stood there watching him for a second before looking over and catching a glimpse of Santana. She was texting ferociously. She'd moved from her spot before and now she was just leaning up against her trunk staring down at her phone. She was only about six cars away but I don't think she noticed anything around her.

"Rachel hon, do you want to drive?" My father dangled the keys in front of me. I grinned and reached my hand out for a moment before retracting it. I know I'm not a great driver and if I embarrassed myself in front of Santana Lopez I'd probably never live it down. She probably wouldn't even see me, but there was always that chance that she would.

"Actually how about after we eat, I'm feeling a little weak, and I would hate to faint while driving." My father shrugged and tossed the keys up in the air catching them and walking towards the driver's seat. I walked to the passenger's side of the car, opening the door slowly, and getting in.

As my father backed out I rolled down my window. I just wanted to catch a glimpse of her, actually I just wanted her to see me, to acknowledge that she knew me. She looked up and we made eye contact. It was short and brave and terrifying.

Her eyes. They were so…they were just so everything.

She didn't recognize me. I could tell that by the lack of light in her eyes when they connected with mine. She wasn't vulnerable though, she was far from it. She was scared and her face looked so hardened, like she'd been through far too much to be a 16 year old girl.

I had to find out what was going on with Santana Lopez. First, I had to find out who she even was.

…

Charlie's POV

"What are you doing out there?" Quinn said from inside the house. She'd poked her head out the window but that's as far as she was going. I looked back from where I was seated on the second story roof. Quinn was terrified of heights, I wasn't and that was as simple as it could get.

"What does it look like?" I asked taking another drag of my cigarette.

"Slowly killing yourself? There's a 22 foot drop down there why don't you just make it easy and jump." She said.

"And if I did you'd never be able to live with that." I informed her she nodded and smiled. Quinn and I belong in an asylum for being so insanely cruel.

"Anyway, mom and dad are home. They said to come downstairs for dinner." Quinn told me. She was about to pull her head back inside but I stopped her by turning quickly. "What?"

"Santana has been here for three days. They'll probably start asking questions soon, don't you think?" Quinn avoided my gaze and I avoided hers.

"You don't know the half of it-."

"Well you don't know the other half." I replied. I know Santana wasn't me best friend, but she was practically part of this family. I cared about her even if she always tried to get under my skin. "What's going on at her house? I have friends would could-."

"You've got friends in low places Charlie. Santana doesn't want anyone to know about whatever is going on, that's why she's so quiet about it." Quinn explained.

"But shouldn't we do something-?"

"Leave it Char." Quinn commanded. She turned around and scanned her room making sure there was no one in sight. "You're always trying to meddle in other people's business. Stay out of it."

"She's like my little sister." I reminded Quinn.

"I'm your little sister." Quinn said glaring at me. "It doesn't matter…like you said, we're sisters not friends. Santana's like _my _sister and she is _my _friend."

**Read and Review Please.**


	2. Puck, Klutz, and Starbucks

**Here's the next part. I want to establish everyone's relationships until I get deeper into the story. I need reviews to know if this should be Pezberry or Faberry because it could swing either way at this point. I hope you guys enjoy this. **

Quinn's POV

Since when was Santana ever this quiet? Honestly I can swear that I've never seen her like this. Sure dinner with my parents was awkward as all hell, because it was clear that my dad was pissed and my mom had no idea how to calm him down, and there we were, the kids in the middle. Usually, if Santana wasn't here, we wouldn't even eat together. My dad would go out somewhere, my mom would sit in the kitchen drinking coffee until he came home, and Charlie and I would smuggle _Cheese-Its _from our stash in our footlocker.

I looked over at my best friend as she was sitting at my desk finishing up her homework. I cleared my throat and she turned around to face me. "What?" She questioned quietly.

"Something's up with you."

"No, nothing's up with me. Something's up with your parents though. I'm not an idiot; clearly they want me out of here." Santana said looking to the foot of my bed at her duffle bag. "Britt's place is open-."

"No, you can stay here." I told her earnestly. "When have you not been welcome here?" I questioned.

"Well then what's with the cold shoulder? Your dad's walking around like he's got a stick up his ass." Santana said stuffing her homework in a folder and walking over to put it in her duffle. "Not that this is any different than usual."

"True story." I said with a smile.

"Hey, can I come in?" Charlie opened up my door and closed it before I even had a chance to respond. I was going to berate her for being rude but she walked right over to Santana and grabbed her hand to help her up to her feet. "We have an actual problem."

"What do you mean?" Santana questioned looking over her shoulder at me.

"Um…hello? Was no one down at dinner? Dad's pissed and I don't want him to take it out on you." Charlie grabbed Santana's bag and turned to walk out the door. She was halfway across the hallway when she turned around and walked back in my room. "Are you coming or what?" She asked.

"Coming where? The fuck are you doing with my stuff?" Santana said snatching her bag out of Charlie's hand.

"I'm taking it so you'll be able to climb out my window."

"I just told Santana that she doesn't have to go. Since when are you in charge Charlie?" My sister gave me an annoyed glare.

"I'm not saying I'm in charge-…Quinn fuck off I'm trying to help your friend." Santana looked back at me and shrugged.

"Alright whatever, I'll see you at school tomorrow Q." Santana wasn't up for arguing or asking any questions. I tried to say something, explain why I wasn't the one helping my best friend out of my window and driving her over to Brittany's house, but I didn't move. There Charlie was, saving the day and stealing my friend.

Charlie's POV

"Why do you care so much about this? I could deal with your rents bitchin and moanin, that's not a real issue." Santana said playing with the button that locks and unlocks the door. I didn't have to look over at her to know that she was getting nervous. I've been noticing it for years. Anytime Santana and I are ever alone, she gets nervous as all hell.

"You just don't need that shit; I figured Brittany's place would be chill." She nodded and I know she could see where I was coming from.

"Quinn's gonna be pissed." She said elongating the word _pissed_ as if it would make me feel guilty about anything. I didn't care if Quinn would be mad at me for taking Santana away, I was only trying to help her.

It was stupid of Quinn to think that I was trying to steal her friend. Not everyone in the world was out to get her. Apparently, she didn't get the memo. "I don't care." I said nonchalantly.

"Yeah right, you're a softie I know it but Quinn doesn't." Santana said with a light chuckle. "You're so full of bullshit."

"So are you." I replied. I turned into the _Dunkin Donuts_ and pulled around towards the drive-thru. I ordered a coffee for me and a hot chocolate for Santana because even if I pretend to ignore her I know it's her favorite.

"So do you wanna stay at Britt's too?" Santana asked once we were back driving again.

"Why would I want to do that?" I asked.

"Because you jumped out of a window just to get the fuck out of your own house. Look I know you and Quinn aren't tight, ever since you went rogue, she's been trying to figure you out-."

"No she hasn't." I said hurriedly, like my mouth was rushing to catch up to my words. "No she hasn't." I repeated.

"Why do you think that? Your problem is you don't talk to her, that's both of your problems." Santana explained. "Quinn's chill…I mean she can be rough sometimes but she's chill. You're always like a fucking brick wall-."

"You're one to talk." I told her thinking back to the way she used to plunge her thumb into her mouth and that would always be the end of our conversations when we were all younger. "Bright side is you've got Britt."

"She's the only sane blonde…shit I hang out with too many blondes." She muttered the last part as if she thought I'd be offended if she said it out loud. It didn't matter because when we pulled into Brittany's driveway she had this big cheesy grin on her face.

"So do you want me to pick you up from school tomorrow or something?" I asked just in case she was starting to get worried about Brittany driving her home.

"No…I might…" She looked out the window and up at the porch light that just turned on in front of us.

"You don't have to go home."

"Eventually my parents are gonna freak…I just don't want to make it worse." She turned to look at me and then looked away quickly, like if she looked into my eyes I would be able to read her too easily. I didn't have to read her to know what was going on.

"I don't think it could be worse."

"You don't-…you have no fucking idea what you're talking about." She snapped. She opened up the car door and stepped outside. "And even if you did, you'd know to keep your mouth shut." With that she door slammed and Santana rushed out towards the Pierce's front door.

I was one second away from backing out of the driveway when I noticed the hot chocolate sitting there untouched in my cup holder. Hot chocolate was Santana's favorite.

Rachel's POV

I'd noticed her before but now it was different. Now I'd seen that fear and emptiness in her eyes. I'd witnessed her in full rage and sadness, which was why now, now that she was leaning up against a locker talking to some freshman cheerleader, I couldn't even breathe. It's true, I'd been holding my breath for about thirty seconds, but if I exhaled I think I would explode.

But I exhaled and nothing changed. She still looked disinterested and she still leaned up against the looker.

It was so nonchalant and smooth. How was I ever going to approach her if she looked like that?

It was stupid of me to think anything of it. We were at two different sides of the social ladder; we might as well be living in different worlds. The problem was I just can't let it go, and I wish I knew how to explain that.

People go to the hospital for a million reasons. It was wrong of me to even think that she might be pregnant, but look at her over there talking to Noah Puckerman, he's not exactly known for being an upstanding individual. What if she'd slept with him? What if it was an accident, or worse, what if she liked him?

I grabbed my books out of my locker and walked past them, trying to catch a snippet of what they were talking about.

"…really Puck? None of that is true and you know it." Okay so that didn't give me much to go on, and it's not like I could just walk back past them again, especially since the hallway is clearing up.

I peeked into my History classroom and saw that only a few students were there. I could just walk back, pretend I'd forgotten something and-.

"Oh sorry!" I didn't even realize I'd backed into someone until I heard journals flop to the floor and the ruffling of papers. I immediately turned and dropped to my knees along with the other girl in front of me.

It wasn't until I looked up and saw gorgeous blues that I realized who it was. Her name was Brittany Pierce and as Kurt had always told me, "Pierce is fierce". She was supposed to be different from the other cheerleaders or at least that's what people say. "No it's my fault; I can be such a klutz sometimes." I said handing her a stray piece of paper.

"Me too-." The blonde said grinning. She looked just over my shoulder and I almost turned back to look too, but I was caught off guard by a tan hand reaching down and picking up a pink journal.

"Britt you alright?" I didn't have to look up to know it was Santana Lopez. I can't believe I'd just made a fool of myself, I also couldn't believe I didn't say anything to her. Her hand reached down again and grabbed the rest of Brittany's things and Brittany and I stood up.

"Yeah I'm fine San; I just didn't watch where I was going." The blonde said happily. I could sense that Santana was looking at me, but I didn't look back at her, for some reason I was too afraid.

"Be careful next time Britt." Santana said. She didn't turn around as she walked away. I thought for sure she'd turn and give me a questioning stare. Didn't she recognize me; it had only been a day? Didn't she know that I saw her in a moment that she'd probably never allow anyone else to see?

"She's so overprotective." Brittany said.

"What do you mean?" I asked even though I knew it wasn't my place.

"San always looks out for me, she works too hard at it though, sometimes I can look out for myself."

"Well she cares for you. That's a good thing, right?"

Santana's POV

I'd been staring at my house for the past hour. I didn't know if I should go in or not. My dad wasn't home, there weren't even any cars there, but I know just being in there would be enough.

It didn't happen often, but when it did, it was bad. I didn't blame him though, I know there are other kids out there who are worse off than I am, so what do I have to feel sorry about? I've grown up tough, and I don't need some damn sugarcoated fairy-tale, it just is what it is.

I started walking towards my house and I didn't stop until I was at the front door.

Fuck this. I unlocked the door with the spare key under the rug, neglected to put it back, and ran right up to my room. I felt my phone buzz in my pocket and I reached to grab it just as I plopped down on my bed.

**[From Quinn]: **_Hey did you get home safely? Text me and let me know if anything is up_

I pressed: 6, Quinn's speed dial number and leaned back on my bed. "Hey." I said once I heard her pick up on the other end.

"Hey, did you get my text? Everything alright?" Quinn asked.

"Yeah it's all good, the rents aren't home but I'll deal with it later. You and Britt just finish up practice?" I questioned.

"Yeah, you should've just come today, how'd you get home anyway?" Quinn questioned. I looked down at my sweatpants and tank top, yeah maybe I should have gone to practice.

"You'll be mad when I tell you-."

"I guess now you don't have to, you got a ride from Puck…" I sighed into the phone, I didn't want to explain anything to Quinn, she shouldn't even be dealing with this whole mess in the first place. "If you didn't want to go to practice you could've just waited for me to finish and then I would've taken you home."

"My dad gets off work at six Quinn I didn't want to show up here at the same time as him. Besides I drive some days, but I haven't been home for a bit and I didn't have my car." I heard my garage door come up and I glance over at my clock. Only 4:48. Must just be my mom. "How was Sue? Did she work you guys hard? Was Britt okay?" I know I'm usually always there to soften the blows, I think I might be the only one with the guts to stand up to Sue when she's acting insane, and I just wanted to make sure Britt was alright. Quinn could handle her own, but not Brittany.

"You should be worried about your ass, Sue was more than pissed that you weren't here, tomorrow's gonna be hell." Quinn said without much regret.

"Yeah, yeah, since when is it not? Oh and can we just get one thing straight, tell your sister to mind her own shit, no more late night car rides with her ever again." I said listening to hear if my mom was going to come upstairs.

"Oh God, what'd she do? I would've taken you home by the way if I thought it was that bad, which it wasn't. I think Char was trying to soften the blow though…my dad flipped a shit when he found out she skipped yesterday." I nodded even though Quinn couldn't see me.

"Charlie's getting reckless…by the way Puck-."

"I don't want to hear it." Quinn said before I could finish.

"Relax it's a party and I'll be there to supervise your crazy ass. You may not know it but when you're drunk you're a wild one." I informed her.

"No I'm not!" Quinn insisted.

"Whatever Q, Friday night at 11, I'll drive-." I heard a knock at my door and I quickly jumped to my feet. "Gotta go, bye Q." I pressed the end button and walked over to open my bedroom door.

"_Mija_, where have you been?" I walked back over and fell face first on my bed and I could hear my mother walk further in.

"At Quinn's for three nights and then at Britt's place." I explained.

"You should've told me where you were at least. Your father will be home in an hour, don't go downstairs I don't want you two arguing." I nodded and wrapped my arms around my mother. "I'll bring you up something to eat, you just _estudia por favor_ I want you to keep up those grades."

"I will." I said with hints of uncertainty. "I will _mama_."

Quinn's POV

"Britt, what do you want?" I asked her as she bounced happily in the seat next to me. I just wanted some coffee because I was 100% positive that I'd be pulling an all nighter and I wanted to make sure I could make it until at least two in the morning. I thought about going through the new _Starbucks _drive thru but instead I just pulled into a parking spot. I knew, from Santana, that Brittany only got iced coffee and cookies from _Starbucks_ and that she had to see the cookies so that she could get the biggest one for herself.

We unbuckled our seat-belts and Brittany grabbed my hand before I had even locked the car doors. I didn't really question it, everyone in Lima knows that Brittany is affectionate. We walked into the _Starbucks_ hand and hand and got in line behind an elderly man, three middle-schoolers and one girl who looked slightly familiar.

"Q if I get a giant cookie will you split it with me?" Brittany asked as we took one step closer to the front of the line.

"Yeah sure Britt I could use all the sugar I can get." Now there was just that familiar looking girl in front of us and for some reason I just couldn't picture where I knew her from. Maybe from church? School maybe? But if she went to my school I should at least know her name, right?

"Yay." Brittany said. She didn't let go of my hand not even when we ordered and received our drinks and giant cookie.

"Britt, where do I know that girl from?" I asked her once we'd taken a seat at the booth by the window. The girl was seated not far from us, but at least out of earshot. She was reading a book as she sipped on her mocha-something.

"She goes to McKinley, she knocked over my books today cause she's a klutz like me." Brittany said without even looking up from her cookie. She broke it in half and gave me the smaller piece.

"What's her name?"

"I don't know." Brittany said. "Did you talk to San?"

"Yeah she's at home right now-."

"Do you think everything's okay? Last night she wouldn't talk to me much and she didn't even smile a lot or say mean things about you." I couldn't look at Britt, not the way she was scrunching up her face like that.

"She's fine, I'll take you both to school tomorrow-."

"What if San's mad at me?" Brittany questioned raising her voice to a panicked shout. Just about everyone in the place turned and looked at us, including the girl from our school.

"B, you're talking crazy, no one could ever get mad at you. Now come on, I'll take you home." I offered. She took my hand and we walked out of _Starbucks_ I thought about turning around and seeing if that girl watched us go. I didn't though, maybe I'd see her at school tomorrow, maybe I'd figure it all out then.

**Review Please. **


	3. It Already Is

**Okay I've been out of town for like 3 weeks, which meant no updates, but here you go. I hope you guys enjoy this. Please review. **

Santana's POV

"Can you slow down? First of all you've been rambling for the past four minutes and to be honest I zoned out about three seconds in." Quinn gave me an annoyed glare and I just scuffed back a laugh. Quinn looked like she was bothered that I wasn't giving all my focus to her, ha, as if. "Now who are you talking about?"

"You know everyone in the school right?" Quinn asked. I didn't exactly see where this was headed but I was starting to get worried.

"Everyone worth knowing…yes."

"I saw this girl yesterday at _Starbucks_ with Britt, I know she goes to our school and apparently she knocked down Britt's stuff yesterday, but I have no idea who she is." Quinn explained as she pulled her pillow out from under my neck and placed it behind her on the bed, practically forcing me to sit up straight.

"Girl crush much Fabray." I said just to get under her skin.

"Okay ew." Quinn said in a dismissive tone. "It's just weird, usually I can place people exactly, but this girl I couldn't."

"So she's a serious loser then, don't look too far into it." I said shrugging my shoulders. "Plus I thought you had other shit on your mind." I added.

"Such as?" Quinn responded defensively.

"Don't throw a bitch fit okay?" Quinn nudged me playfully but hard and I continued as if I didn't have much of a choice. "Are you over Puck or not?"

"Haven't we had this conversation already?" Quinn questioned raising an eyebrow.

"You texted Puck yesterday and asked him if he'd hooked up with me-."

"How the hell did you know that?" Quinn said as she stood up and walked over towards her mirror to fix her hair.

"Is that the main issue? Like seriously Q, tha fuck is with you? As if I'd want your sloppy seconds and as if I'd want Puck. I'm not a slut Quinn." I informed her. I realized that I was angry halfway through my sentence, mainly because Quinn was acting like she didn't care what I was saying.

"Could've fooled me-."

"Oh really now? You're one to talk, name the people I've hooked up with." I challenged her.

"Let's see…" She paused and turned around to face me. "Why can't I think of anyone?"

"Because I don't tell you shit, not that there's much to tell." Quinn gave me a knowing glance. "What's your deal?"

"You tell Britt about everything don't you?" She inquired.

"If I say yes are you going to interrogated her?" I questioned.

"No."

"Then yes I do tell her everything…almost everything." The way Quinn's expression changed let me know that she could take a hint. "Which is totally what you and Charlie should be doing, I mean you're twins, can't you do that telepathic mind thing?"

"She's a bore." Quinn said.

"Look in the mirror asshole, you're the bore. And besides if I had a twin I'd be going around pulling off some major shenanigans."

"_Shenanigans_ San? Really?"

"Yes really." I said with a smile. "You and I used to get into trouble back in the day, what happened to that? Oh right you gave your life the freakin Almighty Jesus Christ Superstar." Quinn was fuming but that still didn't stop me. "So wait, could you explain how J-man feels about you getting all beasts with two backs with Puck?"

"You are unbearable." Quinn said blushing.

"Lovable you mean." I said with a goofy grin. "It was just Puck anyway, I'd say it meant nothing but the way you're glaring right through me let's me know otherwise. I'm so over this shit anyway." I leaned back on the bed and gave Quinn a wary smile. "Where's Char Char?"

"Out back on the porch, wanna go outside?" I pondered for a moment, the last time I was with the wonder twins, I had to go out a window, but this would be worth it. At least this way, I could use Charlie as a buffer.

"Yeah let's go." I encouraged. We stood up and quietly walked past Quinn's parents' room, careful not to knock anything over. I followed Quinn out past the kitchen and on to the deck where Charlie was perched, cross legged and grinning.

"What are you guys doing out here?" Charlie asked staring straight at me.

"I live here too…what's up with you? Why are you out here?" Quinn questioned her sister. It suddenly got tense, and when Charlie blew out a puff of smoke, I knew why. "You're dead! If mom and dad find out you're so gone!" Quinn said. Charlie covered Quinn's mouth aggressively and stubbed out the joint.

"Quinn shut it, Jesus Christ." I said stepping in between the both of them. "Charlie, did you get that stuff from this Wilson dude? Like we said before, bad fucking news. Seriously you need to start listening."

"Why are you so worried?" Charlie asked me. I didn't appreciate two things at this moment. First, Charlie acted like I had no right to care about her, so seriously maybe I should actually stop caring. Second, Quinn was about to go off on Charlie and Charlie was just going to let it happen.

"Because I don't want to see you put out of your house, oh and there's also the little fact that you'll end up putting Quinn in the middle of this…which, come to think of it, you always do. Just be careful next time, smoke at some one else's house." I warned her.

"Thanks mom." Charlie retorted.

"How do you live with this asshole?" I asked Quinn, who just crossed her arms over her chest and turned away from Charlie. "Should I go home? I'm anticipating a serious fight between you two…"

"Charlie, you're destroying yourself, why are you smoking? Why are you skipping so much? You've always made your point, everyone knows you're a badass. What more do you have to prove?" I don't think Quinn understood. This wasn't about showing off, this was about seeking attention from their parents. This was about Quinn coming second to Charlie once and for all.

"Welp…I'm out. You two figure this shit out, I'm gonna go ahead and walk around for a bit-."

"No way in fuck are we gonna let you walk around at this hour." Charlie said as if I had no choice. "Quinn you wanna head inside and get me some chips." Quinn looked at Charlie as if she'd grown three heads.

"You've clearly lost your mind. At what point is it appropriate to punch her in the face?" I raised my hands defensively and walked over to Charlie.

"I'm out; I'll see you kids tomorrow. Char if you don't go to school, I'm gonna kick your ass."

…

Rachel's POV

I saw her again. This time she was sitting in the lobby, riffling through her wallet, seeking something, desperately seeking something. I could've just ignored the whole thing. Seeing her again didn't mean I was going to understand more about the whole situation, it just meant I'd want to understand it more.

It shouldn't have mattered really. She was there. I was here. There was only about 20ft between us, but in reality it was much greater than that.

I'd just have to take my chances. I began walking over and then I stopped when I realized how furious she looked, the way she slammed her palm on the seat next to her, the way she didn't even look up when I was clearly standing in front of her. Her eyes when they connected with mine.

She was quiet.

So was I.

"Do you need help with anything?" I questioned. I didn't mean to sound like I worked there, but I know I did. She gave me a once over before shrugging her shoulders. It wasn't a direct response, actually it wasn't even a response, but I took it.

"I don't know what I'm doing anymore." It was so subtle that I had to strain to hear her.

"I just asked if you needed help-."

"Sorry." She said. Then she looked up at me, intensely, I know she recognized me, but her eyes didn't change. "What's your name?" She asked when I was sure she'd given up her search through her wallet.

"Rachel." I said and the funny thing was she didn't even look like she cared. She stood up, her body was so close to mine that I thought I was going to explode, but she didn't move. She expected me to step back, she had all the power at school which meant everyone got out of her way, but I didn't. I was waiting for her to tell me her name, to say something. "Rachel Berry…I go to your school."

"Yeah I know I remember you knocking down Britt's books." She said with less than no humor in her voice. I shivered even though I wasn't cold, and I looked into her eyes.

"It was an accident." I assured her.

"I know that." She gave me this sweet and almost charming half smile. It was only almost charming because I could tell she was stressed out right now.

"What were you looking for earlier?" I asked.

"Huh?"

"In your wallet? I saw you looking for something, what was it?" I restated.

"I…it was nothing, it doesn't matter now." Santana said with a slight blush, not in embarrassment, but in frustration.

"Oh okay." I said unsure if things were getting awkward, or I just had no idea what to say.

Luckily her phone buzzed and she picked it up in the following seconds. "Hey Q…nope not a chance…well where the fuck is she…fuck Charlie…fine I'll pick you up." She pressed the end call button a little too hard on her phone and shoved her phone in her pocket.

"Is everything okay?"

"Peachy." She said in this eerily charming undertone. It was so sarcastic that I almost blushed because I felt that she only used this kind of tone with her friends, not people like me.

"Anything I can do?" I asked sincerely.

"Oh god no, I'd never dream of putting anyone in this position, especially not someone like you." I didn't know if I should be offended. She had a slight smile on her face, but it didn't seem like she was laughing at me. "Not in a bad way…I mean I don't even know you." But I wish she did.

"I know what you meant." I lied.

"Well I should probably…" _Get going_, I finished in my head for her. I don't know why but this felt familiar. Me just standing here, watching her stuff her wallet into her pocket, her reaching under the chair she sat on before and grabbing a small duffle bag, and her glancing up at me to see if I was still there. I was.

It was like an awkward goodbye, an awkward goodbye as if we'd never see each other again. The thing was, I think we never would.

I could feel it now, we weren't going to talk in school, we'd avoid eye contact, and continue on with our lives. Here though, at this hospital then that was a different story. We'd never see each other again, not like this, in this exact way, because now she knew my name and once you know that you can't just forget someone.

At the hospital, we were different people and that was all that mattered.

"Why have I never seen you before? I mean before this week, before that time in the hospital parking lot…why hadn't I seen you before?" It was one of those questions that was so shocking that I just stared at her. How was I supposed to respond? "Are you new this year?" That could've crushed me, and I could've smacked her, but it didn't and I didn't.

"No." I said simply.

"Then why?" I knew she understood why she'd probably just never voiced it before.

"Because things are different at school." I explained to her. I could tell by the way her eyes shifted that she got the hint. I wasn't bitter about her being popular, that was just the way life went, but I did wish that she was a terrible human being instead of this girl standing in front of me. Then I wouldn't have to care. "Because when I see you tomorrow at school you'll turn away and so will I."

"You helped Britt pick up her stuff that one time." She said.

"Anyone would've done that-."

"No, they wouldn't have. The problem is everyone wants something from her, but you didn't. That I can respect." Santana said with a warm smile.

"But…what do you want from her?" Santana had already slung the bag over her shoulder. She'd already begun walking away, but she stopped and turned to look at me.

"Don't ask me that question." And then she walked away.

…

Charlie's POV

I caught Quinn again. This was the second time this week. I could've just walked past her room, I could've just pretended not to see, but what kind of sister would that make me?

I opened up her door, and immediately she placed the picture back in her nightstand and tried to pretend like she wasn't doing anything. "Hey Charlie, what's up?" It was so nonchalant that I couldn't believe she was okay.

"What were you doing?" I asked instead of answering her.

"Sitting on my bed." She said clearly trying to cover up something. I rolled my eyes and walked over to her nightstand, opening up the drawer, and quite honestly expecting to find a picture of Puck in there. It was just a picture of Quinn and me when we were kids.

"What's wrong with you? Why are you getting all sentimental?" I asked sitting down on her bed next to her.

"I'm not, it's just a picture."

"You're doing that thing that old people do. That thing where they force themselves to try to relive moments in their past, moments that they'll never experience again. That's a picture of you and I Quinn, and you and I are still right here." She continued to look down at her bedspread as if I weren't even here.

"Well I'm still here." She said before standing up and rushing over to close her door.

"I'm sitting right here on your bed."

"I know that, but it's like…you're transparent." Now I was confused, where was this coming from?

"Stop with the cryptic bullshit!" I snapped. "What are you talking about?"

"I'm talking about how we're twins but we've been so distant lately that I can't even talk to you anymore. When we were younger we could just sense if something was wrong, but now you don't even know what I'm talking about, and I'm saying it right to your face. We used to be so close and now look at us-." I didn't realize that Quinn was wearing a white dress and I was wearing all black until now. "We used to be best friends-."

"Don't be silly Quinn, you are my best friend." I informed her.

"So then talk to me. Tell me why suddenly you want to be around Wilson so much."

"Tell me about you and Puck." I replied. She looked down at the ground and so did I. She was right, we'd grown apart, and neither of us really wanted to. "So how do we fix this?"

"I don't know." Quinn replied.

"So we're sorta stuck in this place where we want things to change, but we don't know how they will?" Quinn nodded. "Yep that's us…fucked up Fabrays."

…

Quinn's POV

"You bullshitted an entire presentation on the Cold War, how the hell did you do that?" I asked Santana who closed her locker and smirked.

"I've got skills." She said simply.

"Teach me sometime." I joked just as Brittany came skipping over towards us. "Hey B." I said.

"Hi Quinn! Hi San!" Brittany wrapped her arms around Santana neck and cuddled up close to her. It was cute the way they were so inseparable.

"Britt-Britt, do you think it'd be alright if I stayed over at your place tonight?" This was the first I'd heard about Santana needing some place to stay tonight. Santana caught my eye and looked down quickly.

"Yeah of course Sanni! I'll make us cookies and we can stay up late and everything!" Brittany exclaimed before letting go of Santana and skipping down the hallway towards her next class. I studied Santana for a second, wondering how she could have been lying to me about things at home. Does Brittany know exactly what's going on?

"What Quinn?" Santana snapped after a long moment of silence.

"You know what." I told her. "Why don't you trust me?" Santana looked around at the crowds of underclassmen running to the locker rooms to change for gym.

"Quinn…"

"No I get it, you trust Britt more than me, that's all." Santana shook her head, but I wasn't having it. I tried to walk away but Santana grabbed my wrist.

"She doesn't know." Santana said through clenched teeth. "No one does."

"Why? Why can't you tell me, if there's something I can do-."

"You've already done everything you can, and for that I owe you the world. It's just…this is my problem Q, not yours." I looked away from her eyes, because I felt like I was going to burst into tears. I looked just over her shoulder and I could see Puck gazing at us curiously.

"Don't say…don't do that. I'm not Britt, I love her but she's naïve and I'm not that. So don't try and dismiss this, because I'll keep asking-."

"Stop being so persistent Quinn…just stop." She said as if that was going to make me less persistent.

"No." I said defiantly.

"Just drop it!" Santana slammed her palm against the locker behind me and everyone in the hallway turned and starred at us. I hated that Puck had to run over and stick his stupid nose into our business.

"Hey Tana, calm down." Puck said grabbing her shoulder roughly. For a second I thought that Santana was really just going to calm down, and we were just going to walk to class and forget about this whole thing. Instead, she shoved Puck to the ground so hard that I was sure he'd hurt his shoulder bad, especially by the way he grimaced.

"San…" There was no use in running after her, that would probably make things worse. So I reached down and pulled Puck up to his feet.

"What's her problem?" Puck said watching as Santana ran out the school doors.

"Nothing-."

"This isn't some girly mood swing that was her shoving me to the ground because I touched her shoulder." Puck searched my eyes for an answer, one that I just couldn't give. "Q-."

"I don't know, and even if I did I wouldn't tell some lowlife like you." He looked hurt, but he'd hurt me before and it wasn't like I was that far off.

"Fine." He said tightening his jaw and walking away from me. I didn't realize that the hallway was empty until the sigh of desperation escaped my lips and it echoed down the hallway. That's why I heard the book slam to the floor behind me so loudly. I turned and saw a girl standing there, staring at me in the most obvious manner possible.

"Is there a problem?" I asked walking towards her aggressively.

"No I-…I just forgot a book for my class." I studied her for a second before realizing that I'd seen her at the _Starbucks_ when I was with Brittany.

"Did we put on a good show for you?" I asked referring to the scene Santana, Puck and I had just made.

"I don't know what you mean." She said honestly.

"I meant that drama that just went down was it entertaining enough for you?" I know I was being a bitch, but I'd lost with both Santana and Puck already I had to win over someone today.

"Is Sa-…I mean is that one girl going to be okay?" I cocked an eyebrow. Everyone in this school knows who Santana and I are, so why didn't she just say her name?

"Don't worry about her, why don't you worry about yourself, and your pathetic wardrobe. I can handle my friends." I snapped at her.

"Yeah you did a really great job at that." She didn't look in my eyes when she said that, not because she was afraid of me, but because she was angry.

"Mind your own damn business freak…stay out of my way or I'll make your life hell." I turned away from her and walked in the opposite direction. I didn't have to have good hearing to know what she said. The hallway was empty so even thought she whispered I could just make out her words.

"It already is."


	4. Lucky Me

**Hope this was a quick enough update. If you guys are reading this I could really use some feedback and reviews so I know where to take this. Thank you.**

Santana's POV

"Why are you holding a slushy?" It wasn't exactly the good morning Quinn was probably expecting, but I wasn't in a good morning mood. Last night at Brittany's was fun, up until the point that Brittany made me try and give advice to her obese cat, Lord Tubbington.

"Why not?" Quinn said with a shrug.

"I wouldn't be so curious, except you've always said the whole slushy business was messy. And you always just let those freshmen or Puck take care of it. So clearly this one is personal." I concluded. Quinn just arched an eyebrow at me before scanning the hallway. "So what did some poor chum do to deserve this? Look you in the eyes?"

"I'm not that cold bloodied." Quinn said with a smirk.

"Except you are." I replied. "Look I don't want to see you ruin some kid's day so I'm gonna go ahead and talk to Ms. Peters about my English grade. Catch you later." I said giving Quinn a quick wave before walking down the hall and heading into Ms. Peter's classroom.

The cool thing about Ms. Peters was that she was fresh out of college. It not only meant that she was completely okay with me texting in class, but she also understood what people in our class were talking about. She's wasn't a slacker though, she went to Yale and didn't take bullshit from anyone, even if they were popular. But I wasn't here to talk about how awesome she was, I was here to talk about my grade.

"An 89? You're shitting me right?" Ms. Peters looked up from her desk and took off her glasses, giving me this smile that read 'not you again'.

"That's the grade I gave you, so no, no I'm not _shitting you_." I would've given her serious props for saying that if I wasn't so pissed about the grade.

"One percent. One single percent and I would have an A. You've got to give that grade a little nudge." I didn't bother sitting down, I didn't even bother bringing in the paper, to prove to Ms. Peters that I deserved an A. She knew I was smart, how could she forget? I'm the one student in this class who puts effort into everything.

"It's not going to hurt your overall grade Santana." Ms. Peters assured me in an attempt to calm me down. She just didn't get it, did she?

"Yes but when my dad sees this…" Ms. Peters stood up and walked to the other side of her desk so that we were standing face to face.

"I can't change your grade Santana, it's against everything I believe in." She placed her hand on my shoulder in a weak attempt at comforting me, but it didn't work. How hard was it for her to change one damn grade?

"What do I have to do to make this work?" I asked quietly. My hand went to touch her hip and she immediately pulled away. "Look I'll do _anything_." She kept her hand on my shoulder, successfully keeping my distance, but that didn't stop me from leaning in further and further-.

"No! Santana please, you don't have to do this."

"Just let me okay-." She turned away and pushed me away, harder than I expected. It was only the back of my legs that slammed into the desks but that didn't mean I was any less shocked.

"We have class in thirty minutes, I expect you to be here on time, and composed." I didn't think I had a choice except to leave, but for some reason my feet were still planted on the ground. The displaced desks, grinding into the back of my legs, the slight bead of sweat running down my face, it was a scene from a movie.

"I'm sorry-."

"I know you are." She snapped suddenly. "So that's why I'm not reporting you to the principal and having you expelled. Now please, Santana, leave."

…

Charlie's POV

"Worthless piece of shit!" I yelled kicking the side of my 1967 red _Chevelle_. This was not the first time that the thing had given out on me, but it was the first time when I was supposed to be picking up Santana and Quinn after their Cheerios practice.

Quinn had made it clear that they were counting on me. It was one of those, post-intense-talk, looks that she gave me without even realizing it. I knew Quinn wanted me to pick them up for two reasons. First of all, she wanted to see if she could still trust me. Secondly, she wanted Santana to stay over our house tonight. She said that Santana had been quiet all day, and Santana does not do quiet.

The problem was obvious right now, and I didn't have many solutions. I could call and tell Quinn to have Brittany's parents drop them off here, but that would leave Brittany with too many questions and with Quinn an inability to say no to the other blonde. Or I could do what I just did and call the last person any one of us wants to see and have him pick me up and bring us all home. Hey, it beat out the other plan B which was to call our parents.

I heard the truck pull up next to me and two light honks on the horn let me know that he was here. "Okay here are the rules. You don't get to say shit when you're in the truck with all of us. And if you bring up anything with my sister, I'll kill you; I'll kill you and dump the body in that forest behind my house." The fact that he laughed after I said this only pissed me off even more.

"Relax; I'm just here to help out. What about your car?" He questioned.

"I called AAA; they'll pick it up and drop it off at my house later." I explained. Luckily for me, he seemed a little intimidated by my empty threat of murder, and we were silent for the rest of the drive. We made it to McKinley just in time. I could see Santana and Quinn with their bags over their shoulder, exhausted but laughing at something together. Unfortunately, once they caught a glimpse of me in the window of this red truck, both of their smiles faded.

"Please tell me this is a joke." Santana muttered.

"My car died on me and I-." Quinn held up her hand to stop me from sputtering out excuses. Santana and Quinn tossed their bags in the back of the truck and got in the front with Puck and I.

"Seriously though, of all people?" Quinn asked once we started driving again.

"You know I'm sitting right here." Puck said earning a quick smack from me.

"Look don't be mad at me, I mean did you want me to call the rents?" I knew that would get Quinn to calm down. "That's what I thought. And besides this mohawked freak is only going to drop us off, isn't that right Pucky?"

"Hey don't hate on the hair pinky." Puck said as he pulled into our driveway.

I rolled my eyes and the three of us got out of the trunk. While the girls grabbed their bags from the back, I slammed Puck's door shut. "I seem to remember a time when you had balls, funny how people change."

"Yeah…funny." He said not backing down from me. He was annoying, but he wasn't terrible. I gave him a smirk and flicked him off before following Quinn and Santana into the house.

I didn't quite understand Puck. Not before at least. But now I understood him completely. Quinn had put a distance between them, just like she'd put a distance between us.

…

Rachel's POV

Two days in a row. I hadn't been slushied in a month and suddenly it happens two days in a row.

I should've seen it coming. The way that Quinn girl glared at me, the way she threatened me. She was so bothered by the fact that I saw her interactions with Santana and Noah, but wasn't that the whole point? If they wanted privacy, they wouldn't have been fighting in the middle of the hallway. All eyes were always on them, and they should've known it.

I wasn't actually mad at her. At least I got to miss gym class today and this sweater was getting worn down anyway, two birds with one stone I guess. And to top it off, no one ever noticed me in this school, and now I have the attention of the most popular girl in school.

Luckily, my fathers always taught me to look on the bright side.

I finished washing up my face, the red stain on my shirt was still visible but it wasn't terrible. I could go grab a shirt from my gym locker later if I really needed to. I stepped out into the hallway, thankful that there were only a few people around, mostly just the kids with a free period. I walked straight to my locker, debating whether or not I should study math or finish writing my English paper.

It goes to show what being lost in your own thoughts does. It completely impairs you, which is the bulk of the reason why I didn't see Santana approaching until she leaned up against the locker in front of me and cleared her throat.

"Hi." I said giving her a quick smile. I didn't know how this was done. I assumed we'd never talk in school.

"What the hell happened?" I didn't expect her to seem so worried. People got slushied every single day here, why did she care? I avoided her gaze and she crossed her arms over her chest. "I'm sorry."

"You didn't do anything." I couldn't help but defend her, even if she seemed to be putting the blame on herself.

"Go into the cheerleading locker room, locker number 17, I have a few extra shirts in there. It should be open." There were a million things I wanted to say to her right now. But she was gone before I could even open my mouth. The hallway was filling up, and even if this was the first time we spoke at school, it would probably be our last. She had a reputation to keep up and it would hurt the both of us if I tried to intrude on that.

We were too different; I could see that just from the way she's standing over there. She has this broken confidence and I'm just me. Rachel Berry. I'm just this nobody who caught the attention of the right girl. Lucky me.

…

Quinn's POV

"Have you finished packing?" I asked just as I was zipping up my duffle bag. I had my cell phone on speaker, and I was talking to a very distant and quiet Santana. She'd been acting this way for days and it was killing me to be this far away from her.

"I'm not going." It took me a second to register that Santana wasn't joking.

"What's that supposed to mean? This is a national qualifying event, you can't not go." I explained to her as if she didn't already know. We'd been training for the entire summer for this, and she couldn't just blow it off without a logical explanation. "What happened?"

"Nothing happened, I just can't go-."

"No. No you're not lying to me anymore. What happened? San, I swear you'd better tell me now. I'll get my dad to come over your house-."

"Quinn, calm down…it's not a big deal." A baby could make that sentence sound more convincing than Santana did right now. I tossed my duffle bag on the ground and sat back down on my bed. How do you convince someone they need your help, when you don't even know what they need help for?

"Well Sue's gonna kill you. You don't want to be off the squad do you?" It was the only advantage I could come up with and it was weak at best. I know Santana never even wanted to be on the squad. She joined so she could be with Brittany and I, which was stupid because nothing could break us up either way. "My family can take you. If that's the issue here, then it's settled."

"That's not it." Santana said and I was sure I was losing this battle. "Look I'm gonna sneak out tonight at around three, just tell Charlie to open up her window so I can go in." I figured that wouldn't be too hard, but I didn't understand why she had to sneak out.

"Why can't we just drive over and pick you up?" I heard Santana sigh on the other end and I knew I was asking too many questions again. I remember that in 7th grade Santana said my curiosity was my biggest flaw, but I just couldn't help it. It really wasn't fair. I felt shut off to the real world; I didn't go anywhere except school, church, and home, but Santana and Charlie had a whole different outlook on things.

"Because my parents will see your car, just stick to the plan Jesus…all you have to do is get your sister to open up a window." The weird thing was, Santana sometimes made me feel so juvenile.

"Okay fine, it's done. Just keep your phone on and when you're walking over here I want you to call so we can talk the whole time." I knew that if Santana was standing in front of me she'd be rolling her eyes and her lips would be pressed together in annoyance.

"Okay _mother_ should I bring pepper spray too?"

"Yes actually you should." I replied thinking it not such an outlandish idea.

"No thanks, I prefer my fists." Santana said chuckling a little like there was some underlying irony that she understood but I never could. "Speaking of I might have to put my fists in your face when I get over there."

"What? What did I do?" Now I was confused. Santana couldn't still be holding a grudge over what happened in the hallway. She never held grudges.

"You can't just go around throwing slushies at people." I was so ready to defend myself for my actions, but Santana continued. "It's fun for shits and giggles, once maybe twice a month, but two days in a row? You just can't do that."

"Why is it okay when everyone else does stuff like this-."

"Because everyone else is miserable. Because everyone else hates themselves and you don't." Oddly enough, it took me until this moment to realize that I was crying. It was just silent crying though which meant it was only me who had to suffer right now. "I'll see you tonight…hopefully." She hung up before I could say goodbye and I dropped my phone onto my bed.

"Who was that? Puck?" Charlie closed my door behind her, thankfully choosing my sanity over my parents' curiosity.

"No San."

"So why are you crying?" Sometimes Charlie just didn't have a filter, which was fine because most of the time Santana and Brittany didn't either.

"It doesn't matter…just do one thing for me." Charlie nodded even though I could see she was slightly bothered by my unwillingness to tell her absolutely everything. "Just keep your window open, San's coming over."

"Okay…try to sound a little less sketchy."

"It's not _sketchy_; we're just doing San a favor. Now would you get out of my room?"

…

Santana's POV

The unmistakable _ding-dong_ rang through my house and for the first time in my life, true annoyance and fear stung my body at the exact same time. I burst through my closed bedroom door and bolted down the steps. I nearly fell twice and I slammed my toe into the wall next to the front door trying to stop my momentum.

I figured it was going to be Quinn standing there. It would be so Quinn to come over anyway. But it wasn't her.

It was Rachel.

I closed the door behind me and grabbed Rachel's wrist. I could see her car, parked in my driveway; it was blue and so expected of her. I didn't know her, but she hadn't surprised me yet. At least not until now. It was 10 o'clock at night and she had showed up at my house unannounced and in my father's eyes that would be considered unwelcome as well.

"What are you doing here? Have you lost your mind?" She looked confused but above all she looked afraid. I'd seen that look the one in her eyes. She was only trying to feel accepted and I was pushing her away.

"I-I thought…this isn't school, you don't have to act like _that_."

"I'm not acting a certain way just for…my parents will flip if they see us." She clearly didn't understand what I meant and I didn't have time to explain it. That wasn't the point right now. "Is that my gym shirt? You drove over here at 10 o'clock at night to return my gym shirt?"

"I washed it." She said handing it over proudly. At this point, I wish she were Quinn, so I could justifiably punch her in the face.

"This couldn't wait till Monday?" I asked.

"I'm punctual." She replied with a smile. "And I really don't understand what the big deal is. It's a Friday night; I thought popular kids were usually out late on Friday nights anyway." Like I said, I wanted to punch her.

"If my parents see me out here then they'll put bars on my windows, and I actually do need to get out later tonight." I was thinking about my plan with Quinn. It would work easily just as long as they didn't suspect anything. I didn't tell my parents about the cheerleading competition because I knew my mom would support me, but my father wouldn't. It would start a whole big mess of a fight, and we'd already had one of those tonight.

"So you're sneaking out later tonight?" Rachel asked curiously. Was that the only part she'd heard the entire time?

"Yes." I replied simply.

"Oh to meet a boy or something?" I rolled my eyes.

"_Or something_-." I heard my front door begin to open and I immediately wrapped my arms around Rachel. She didn't understand why I was suddenly doing this, and she certainly didn't have to. I knew it was my father opening the door, especially with the way there was a long pause, he was watching us. If it were my mom, she would have immediately closed the door because she understood boundaries. He didn't say anything, he didn't yell at me to get inside, but he did slam the front door shut letting me know that he wasn't happy with me. I don't think I remember a time when he was happy with me.

"What was that for?" Rachel asked once I released her.

"So my dad wouldn't think you were here to drive me somewhere. That was a friend consoling a friend hug, which means you're about to leave." I opened her car door for her, she was just about to step in when my porch light clicked on, and we were suddenly both illuminated.

So clearly she was a dancer. I had noticed her hair in a bun before, but I didn't notice the other clothes that she was wearing. If her tights didn't make it obvious, he _Lima Dance Studio_ jacket made it crystal clear.

As if she wasn't a mystery enough, a dancer, that was something new.

"What happened to your face?" And just like that it all came rushing back to me. I knew why we couldn't just talk out here like human beings, and I knew why I had to jump two stories out of my window to sneak out tonight, it was because I wasn't like every other kid in Lima. I was different and it sucked.

"No one minds their own business in this town, that's the problem." I opened up Rachel's door wider hoping that she would just get in and leave it all alone. "Drive safely and get some rest."

"Will I see you at the hospital this weekend? It's not the ideal place-."

"It's morbid." I interrupted. "…but if you're there at the right time then I'll be there."

"Good." She said finally getting into her car and starting the ignition.

"Yeah…good."

**Review Please.**


	5. A New Normal

**Here is the next chapter, hopefully it doesn't disappoint. I'm actually really happy that I have the Quinn and Charlie dynamic because it's sort of important in understanding Santana. I think half the point of this story is that everyone has secrets. Enjoy. **

Charlie's POV

"Why are you looking at me like that?" I repeated for just about the third time. Santana wasn't even fazed, instead she just looked up from where she was lying down on the bed at me and scuffed out a half-assed laugh.

"How'd you convince Sue to let you stay in the room with us?" _Us_, being Quinn, Santana, and Brittany. I know I was out of place, they were all Cheerios, and I was sort of a zero, but Santana was making it beyond weird. Since we'd arrived, three hours ago, she hadn't been off my back about one thing or another. I just didn't get it.

One day she gives me grief and the next she wants to be my best friend.

"My parents paid for this room so we could all be together." I explained. "But you already knew that, so why the 3rd degree?" Maybe she was just looking for something to talk about. It was just Santana and I in the room, Quinn and Brittany were watching _Pretty Little Liars _on the TV in the lounge, and things had never been more awkward for me than they were now.

"That time when you took me over Britt's, what did you mean when you said things couldn't get worse for me?" I sat up in my bed and watched Santana's expression change. She looked different now, for some reason I just couldn't figure out.

"I say a lot of things I don't mean." I assured her, but she didn't but it, and neither did I.

"But you meant this." She propped herself up on her elbows and studied me for a second. I don't know if it's normal, not just the way we interact, but the intensity of us together. It hasn't always been this way, truthfully it hasn't, but we've reached this point where every look means something unexplainable and that's why we can't ever look away.

I'm different than Quinn and Santana knows that. She knows that I'm not a conformist and neither is she. Which is why we should be best friends, which is why we should be out skipping school together, but we're not.

I think I understood it from the beginning. Santana was Quinn's best friend, because Quinn is safe, and all Santana needs right now is safe.

"I don't understand what's going on with you…but don't think we're that different. Don't think I am clueless as to where you're coming from." It was a massive assumption. One that I couldn't back up, and one that Santana should have been lashing out at me for.

But she wasn't.

"Black sheep." Santana muttered biting back a smile. "Not that I don't know you love being the black sheep in your family. It's your calling. I mean with a crazy _mezcla _of WASP slash Nazis, it's incredible how well mannered and sweet you've come out." It was one of the family insults that I could take especially because it wasn't news to me.

"All you do is rip on my family, I don't get why you're even friends with Quinn, I mean you hate her." I reversed my position on my bed so that I was facing Santana, and I waited patiently for an answer.

"God you got the stupid genes." Santana said playfully. "I don't hate Quinn…actually quite the opposite. She's always there for me even though I'm a total bitch to her. She backs me up at school, she won't cheat off me in Spanish class, and she cooks for me Charlie. She made me cookies today."

"I'm sure it's really exciting having two moms." I joked but Santana didn't even smile.

"She's not a mom Charlie she just cares too much about everyone and I'm the only one who hasn't broken her heart." This was news to me. This was utter news to me. I sat up completely on the bed.

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"Nothing." Santana said trying to brush it under the rug, except I wasn't one for hiding things, especially not today.

"I think I deserve to know if someone's stomping on my sister's heart-."

"Well it's half your fault. The other half belonging to Puck of course. He could never love her, but you're her sister…somehow that makes it worse, at least in her eyes." I didn't actually understand what she was saying but I didn't want to get into a fight about it.

"Why can't we talk about normal teenager shit?" I asked lying back down.

"What exactly is normal?" Santana replied with that quirky grin of hers that she rarely let's anyone see. I don't think she ever noticed when she acted dorky around me, sometimes it just came out naturally. "That's the question that's on everyone's mind, right?"

"Nope, only on yours. Most of us are looking to get as far away from normal as possible." I informed her. "So is this Puck guy really giving Quinn a hard time?" I questioned after awhile.

"_This Puck guy_? I love how you say it like you don't even know him." The truth was Puck and I had a history. It wasn't romantic or anything, we just shared a love for trouble. When I went to McKinley that was all we did and everyone knew to stay away from us. "And he's not giving her a hard time, she just…she doesn't want anything to do with him, she just loves him too much to break his heart." I thought about that for a moment.

"Love is so freakin complex." I exclaimed.

"Oh, speaking from experience? Don't tell me it's that Wilson guy!" She jumped up off her bed and practically tackled me back down.

"Jesus Christ, would you please get off me?" She ruffled my hair and returned to her bed quietly. "What's your deal?"

"Just thinking. I mean you don't tell Quinn shit and you don't tell me shit…so who do you talk to about this stuff?"

"I don't, what about you? You're always talking about being so _hot blooded_, who do you talk to about crushes and stuff?" She gave me this knowing look and smiled.

"I don't." She replied.

…

Quinn's POV

"Aw look at her; she looks so adorable sleeping like that." I said to Charlie playfully, as I nodded my head over to a sprawled out Santana. She was only wearing boy shorts and a tank top, and covers weren't helping her much.

"Shut up asshole, I'm not asleep." Santana said with her eyes still closed. "I'm meditating." I looked to my left at Brittany who was carrying at least 10 bags of chips from the vending machines, and she just kept this small smile on her face.

"San, will you help me eat this food, I bought it so we could share." Brittany said walking over slowly and sitting down on the empty spot of their bed. Brittany tossed Santana a bag and she immediately jumped up catching it gracefully.

"You know me so well." Santana said with her bag of chips already opened. "What were you and Quinnie doing downstairs anyway? Don't tell me your Pretty Little Liars marathon lasted 3 hours."

"No actually we watched the show…then Mrs. Fabray gave me cookies…then we basically talked for the rest of the time." The thing I loved most about Brittany was that she was so free and open and didn't have a filter at all. That was also the thing I hated most about her. "We also talked a lot about you San!" Santana's face fell and she turned to me, waiting for an explanation.

"We were talking about how well you preformed today." I lied quickly hoping Brittany wouldn't blow my cover.

"Yeah I'm so sure." Santana muttered, quietly calling me out on my lie.

"What were you guys talking about?" I responded glancing over my shoulder at Charlie, who was mindlessly reading an old magazine and sipping water out of a used Gatorade bottle. Charlie didn't seem interested in the conversation until now and I didn't quite know what to think about.

"You know the usual; sex, drugs, and alcohol." Charlie responded getting a light chuckle from Santana.

"The thing that worries me is that might actually have been what you guys were talking about." I said snatching the magazine from Charlie and tossing it on the floor. "How did the sex talk go?" I added jokingly.

"It went great, we were just talking about how we're both tops." Santana said trying to pretend like she was serious. Charlie raised an eyebrow over at Santana who just winked in response.

"What makes a person a top?" I asked curiously. Sure I'd had some experiences, with Puck mostly, but I thought girls were usually considered 'bottoms'. Boys took control right? It was just their thing.

"Swag." Santana said with a half grin. "And just willingness to take control. A top never let's anyone control them." Which was so far off that I almost laughed aloud. Santana and Charlie weren't invincible and they never would be. "Which is why you're a total bottom Q."

"Not even gonna pretend to listen to this conversation right now." I said walking over to my duffle bag so I could grab some clothes to change into. I pulled out an oversized t-shirt and shorts. I thought about changing in front of them, it was just my sister and my two best friends, but after this talk about sex, I was feeling somewhat dirty. "I'm gonna change." I said over my shoulder as I walked into the bathroom and closed the door.

I took a quick look at myself in the mirror. My makeup was all gone now; I didn't need to look perfect anymore. My hair was a mess, but that was partially Brittany's fault for thinking that she could grow up to be a hair stylist.

I wonder how mad Santana would get if she knew what Brittany and I were talking about downstairs. About how much she'd suddenly changed this year. Even if she supposedly tells Brittany everything, it seems like Brittany feels just as in the dark as I am. Which is supposed to be the opposite of what is happening.

Brittany is everyone's go to girl.

I lifted my shirt over my head and changed into my clean shirt. I pulled out my cell phone from my pocket and opened my contacts. Suddenly my hand was scrolling without me controlling and of its movements. My heart had taken over the will power of my brain.

**[To Puck]: I don't want us to be like this. Meet me tomorrow on the bleachers.**

It only took 30 seconds for Puck to respond.

**[From Puck]: I'll be there.**

He was never one for romance. Neither was I.

Santana's POV

Of course, we won the tournament. We never lost. And of course Sue took the trophy and held it above her head, taunting the other cheerleaders and coaches, and never let's us even touch it. I watched in the background with the rest of the girls as Quinn waited for her interview.

"When can we get the fuck out of here?" I questioned slinging my arm over Brittany's shoulder. I loved that Brittany still got excited after all the wins, she still had that fire in her, and with those moves of hers, she was probably the reason we won…again.

Why isn't Brittany a captain too? She deserved it just as much as Quinn and I didn't.

"You in a rush?" Quinn questioned with a little too much worry in her voice. "Did you eat lunch S? We can grab something to eat before we take the drive all the way back." I looked at Quinn like she was insane. Who was I, her charity case?

"I think I'm in the hole about 350 dollars at this point, I don't want to keep digging." The truth was I just really hated owing the Fabrays. Not Quinn or Charlie, they were fine, but the way their parents always looked at me…it was eerie. I felt like more than an intruder around them, they made me feel so insignificant, so small.

"I'll get my dad to rush it; Charlie's been fidgety all day so they'll book it home so we can relax. Are we dropping you off at your house?" Quinn asked.

"No, just drop me on the corner by Reggies." It was much closer, and I don't think my parents are going to want to see me any time soon. I didn't call at all and they're sure to be pissed off.

"Okay…sure if that's where you want to go."

…...

"Why did you get out of the car with me?" I asked avoiding eye contact with Charlie at all costs. I didn't want to talk to her and I was less than pleased that she insisted on getting out of the car with me right now. I thought she was going home with Quinn, not following me around.

"I'm meeting Wilson." She said with a shrug. "Why'd you make my rents drop you off on this side of town? I mean I get that you didn't want to go home but this is kinda far away." Who died and made her nosy Quinn? I gave her a look to let her know that I just wasn't going to respond and she took the hint. "Fine, well let me carry this bag." She reached out and put her hand on my duffle bag.

"What? No!" I yanked the bag away from her. "Jesus Christ, what's with you? I don't need your help."

"I'm just trying to be nice-."

"The Fabrays don't do nice…not unless they're Quinn." I stopped in my tracks and turned to face Charlie. I didn't want her to follow me all the way to the hospital, she'd defiantly have too many questions then. "Okay bye Charlie." I said trying to shoo her away in the other direction.

"Why are you being so secretive?" Charlie asked.

"I'm not; I just don't want you to worry about it." I said looking towards a red car approaching us. That must be Wilson. The came to a stop and Charlie looked over at the person in the driver's seat. "Looks like your ride is here."

"Yeah." Charlie opened the passenger's side door and got in but she didn't close the door.

"Take care of her!" I shouted to the driver. All I could see her faded jeans and one hand on the wheel. The driver didn't say anything and he certainly didn't respond. Charlie didn't look at me before she closed the door, she just closed it and they drove away.

I seriously didn't like that Wilson guy.

I walked into the hospital like it was my house. I bypassed the receptionist and had to practically dive out of the way to avoid running into a man on his wheelchair. I was not in the mood for any of this shit.

It was that moment in time when you realized your day was going to be awful and you knew exactly why, but there was nothing you could do about it.

I walked over to my normal seat and sat down. It was always a process. I don't know why I didn't just walk in, that's what a normal person would do, right? I let my duffle bag fall to the ground and for a second I just thought about leaving. Who said once a week had to be a Sunday? I could always just come back tomorrow-.

"Hello Santana." The minute I looked up I remembered my reason for showing up today. Well actually, I had two reasons. Rachel stood in front of me with a broom in one hand and the other pushing some of her hair back behind her ear.

"Hey." I said trying not to smile. There was something about this whole situation that was slightly amusing. None of my friends new I was here, but this girl, this random girl at my school knows I'm here, and she doesn't seem to care why.

"I have to clean a room now but…would you care if I asked for company?"

…

Rachel's POV

Every time I looked over at her she had that same expression on her face. It wasn't quite indifference, but it was certainly not interest. She just sat on the chair next to the empty bed with her feet up and her duffle sitting in the corner of the room.

Why did she have a duffle bag? I thought about asking her the hundreds of questions that were currently floating through my mind. Where did she go Friday night? Why does she come to the hospital? Where are her parents?

But how could I not seem like this nosy little brat, if I did?

"So Friday…did you get away with sneaking out?" She looked up at me from where her gaze was previously shifted onto the ground. She studied me for a moment before opening her mouth.

"Let me just save you the time for your next five questions. Yes I snuck out, but it wasn't to get into any trouble. I went to a competition for the Cheerios." I'd almost forgotten she was a Cheerio, but I don't know why. Maybe it was because I'd seen her twice this weekend, out of uniform.

"How did you get to the competition if you didn't drive or-."

"Quinn took me. Is this an interrogation or what? Should I have my lawyer present?" She was just being charming and if she was really annoyed then I think I would be able to tell. I continued sweeping and the room feel silent. I could feel Santana's eyes on my back, but I didn't think I could turn and face her, because I didn't have anything interesting to say. "Do you volunteer here?"

"No, my father works here. Sometimes I just come up here and clean rooms, sort files…basically whatever he wants done." I watched as she silently judged me and then, out of the blue, she smiled.

"You must be the ideal daughter." She said with a slightly bitter tone. "Nothing wrong with that though." She stood up and just as I felt her hand graze my hip, she was swiftly taking the broom out of my hand.

"Did you guys win the competition?" I asked leaning back against the bed, but not far enough to sit down.

"Of course we did, we win everything." She didn't sound cocky, instead she sounded frustrated. "We won, Sue got her big interview, and we went home. Same old song and dance."

"Why do you sound like you hate it-."

"Because I do." She said all too quickly. "I mean…I never even wanted to join in the first place I just did it so I wouldn't have to…" She didn't finish her thought, and I was far beyond the possibility of her opening up to me. She could only open up to someone she trusted, and she didn't even know me.

But for some reason she was trying.

"I think that cheerleading is an underrated sport. The Cheerios have no males yet you manage to lift each other up which is beyond incredible." I'd been to more than a few football games, I'd seen the lifts and acrobatics, and it never ceases to amaze me.

"Yeah not gonna lie I've got some serious guns and abs of steal, no biggie." Santana said glancing over her shoulder at me.

"Modest are we?" I joked.

"Nope…just honest. If you don't believe me, give it a feel." She was standing there with that confident smirk on her face and I was blushing like an 8 year old boy. I pushed the back of my legs off of the bed and took the two longest strides of my life over to Santana. "Don't be shy." Shy was an understatement. I was mortified. She caught on to that quickly and she grabbed my hand and pressed it to her abs.

Clearly she took care of her body.

She inhaled deeply before she let my hand fall to my side. I immediately looked down at where I'd just touched her and then back to her eyes. "Basically all the Cheerios have to be ripped. Have you ever seen one of our practices? It's like the fucking Hunger Games meets Gladiator. Everyone's out for blood."

"So why do it then? I mean…I'm not asking why you don't like it, just…you could do soccer or volleyball, but why Cheerios?"

"I could never break up the Unholy Trinity." I cracked a smile and so did she. It's funny how something that's meant to make her sound bad, sounded so cool coming out of her mouth. "I mean originally I just joined because Brittany needs me, but now I think I sort of need her." There seemed to be hidden meanings behind everything she said.

"So I'm guessing you stayed in a hotel room with Brittany and Quinn for the competition?"

"Yeah…and I mean Charlie too." Charlie? I of course wasn't a popular girl, but I didn't think I'd ever heard of a cheerleader named Charlie. "You know I get it."

"You get what?" I asked curiously.

"The hidden animosity towards me." She said as if she was beyond sure of herself. "I could see it in your eyes since we walked in here. You know that tomorrow things will go back to normal and you hate that it has to. One thing I know for sure though…I'm looking for a new normal."

**Review Please.**


	6. I'm a Pro

Quinn's POV

"So you came." I said once I'd heard the clanking sound of boots on the bleachers. Puck gave me that dark smile of his before sitting down next to me. It was rare to see us together like this. Usually I had on my Cheerios uniform and he had his lettermen's jacket on. They were both symbols of our status, but now that wouldn't have meant a thing.

"You didn't think I would?" _No_, I wanted to say. I would've told him how much I didn't trust him most of the time, but I didn't. "Of course you didn't, you think I'm some deadbeat." I wish he knew that I didn't think that. A part of me hated this, this quiet side of Puck. When was he going to say something inappropriate? When was he going to say something stupid?

"I don't think that." I assured him. "Do you get why we're here? Do you understand where I'm coming from?" He nodded his head and leaned back on his elbows. He was watching me, and I couldn't stop thinking about our first time. It was in Santana's bedroom. It was quick and painful, and Puck didn't even get me off before he came on the sheets.

It was all just a stupid mistake.

"Look you didn't have to call me out here to _break up_ with me. We were never together I get that." Puck said shaking his head for a second. "But don't for a second think you're just like those other girls Quinn." He didn't know what he was saying. He was trying to protect me, but I was stronger than he thought.

"It doesn't matter…I was the one who couldn't move on." I explained to him.

"I was your first." He said sliding his hand over for me to take. I did with little reluctance. "It shouldn't have happened the way it did, but we can't change the past. I can't ask anymore than to be your friend. I just want things to go back to normal."

"I'm jealous by nature." I warned him.

"So am I." He responded with a smile. "But I know neither one of us would be happy together. We tried once and then we both ended up hurt. You weren't my first and you certainly not my last and drunken sex was wrong, but I love you…so I'll let you go." I pulled my hand away from his and looked down at my feet.

"Don't…you shouldn't have said that Puck."

"I'm trying this new thing out and it's called honesty. It seems to hurt everyone around me, but…it helps me understand myself. Don't take it the wrong way Quinn, I said I love you, but it doesn't have to mean anything more than that." Love wasn't just something you can go throwing around. Puck probably would never understand that because he's ruthless with his love. "This is high school Quinn, in the future love will mean something totally different, I promise."

"It doesn't seem that way now." I told him.

"Yeah that I can relate to."

…

This was the third time I'd called Santana and still no response. I needed her now. I'd been crying since I'd gotten home from the school and had that talk with Puck. Everything went fine until he told me he loved me, that's when I realized it wasn't as easy as I'd thought.

Of course, Charlie would be no help, even if she'd answered her phone when I called. She was out doing who knows what with Wilson.

I turned on the TV. I wasn't planning on watching anything, I just knew I needed some background noise, otherwise my mother would've heard me crying. She wouldn't have cared though, she would've forced me to stay in my room so my father wouldn't see me like this.

I looked towards the hallway when I heard a creak and the window being yanked open. I saw Charlie climb through the window and close it behind her. She pulled something out of her pocket and put it in her footlocker. I debated just leaving her alone, but she'd been acting damn suspicious for the past few weeks and I wanted to know what was up.

"Where have you been?" I questioned as I crossed my arms over my chest and watched her flinch at the sound of my voice.

"I didn't even see you there; I figured you'd still be out with Puck." Charlie said finally turning to face me.

"You didn't answer my question." I said taking a few more steps into her room. She didn't have her lights on in her room but that was okay with me. She wanted to stay in the dark about some things and so did I. "My guess is with Wilson. Don't tell me you brought Santana with you?"

"No, Santana forced me off her trail as soon as we got dropped off. I went with Wilson to his friend's house, we drank some, and then Wilson dropped me off two blocks away. Typical day in the life-."

"Stop." I told her trying to shut her up. I didn't like hearing about what she did with Wilson, it made me sick to my stomach. She never understood how dangerous it was and there was no way she'd ever listen to me about it. "It's dangerous May…were you the only girl there? You think they're your friends now, but they could just as easily take advantage of you." I'd warned her a million times, but she always just brushed it off.

"I can take care of myself." Charlie said. "So why were you crying? Don't deny it cause I could tell from a mile away. What did Puck do? I swear Quinn if he hurt you-."

"He told me he loved me." Charlie looked at me for a moment and I thought she was going to jump up and hug me. She didn't. She motioned for me to sit down next to her on her bed. I did without hesitation. "We can't be together Char, no matter what."

"I get it." She said wrapping her arm around my shoulder. "I know you want to cry right now…so cry…it's okay." I held on to my sister for dear life. I sobbed like a pathetic child, I cried until I couldn't cry any longer, and Charlie held on to me the whole time.

…

Rachel's POV

Staying after school late was normal for me. Especially on Mondays. I liked singing in the auditorium when no one was around. It calms me down; it helps me realize that even if high school is miserable, it isn't forever. I double checked my rolling backpack and continued on towards the parking lot where my father was going to pick me up in 15 minutes.

It was cool outside, but as the season progressed deeper into the fall, the days got shorter. I thought about just staying inside the school, if it was dark out, it could be dangerous. I was about to turn around when I saw a flicker of light under the bleachers.

Of course, that light could have been anything. I was just too curious to let it go. I carefully weaved through the cars that belonged to the janitors and teachers who decided to stay late, and walked through the gates leading to the bleachers. It was difficult pulling my backpack over the gravel pathway, but once I was close enough I heard shuffling and saw a puff of smoke float up through the air.

I looked down to see who the figure was sitting in front of me. It took me a second, just one moment to recognize her. She was wearing sweatpants and a long sleeve shirt. She was leaning back against the aluminum undersides of the bleachers. And the way she'd looked right through me was so undeniably Santana.

"What are you doing?" I questioned forcefully.

"What does it look like? You're sorta naïve, but you're not an idiot." Her voice had this intense raspy tone to it. She didn't look rattled, she didn't flinch when I moved closer to her, she didn't care. "What are you doing here so late anyway?"

"I hardly think that's a question worth answering when you're sitting in front of me participating in illegal activity. Someone could call the police on you. You'd get kicked off the squad if anyone found out." She looked down at her feet before taking another long drag. She slowly stood up just as she exhaled.

I didn't know what was about to happen, but I was afraid. I felt safe with Santana, but when she was high, who knows? That was a different person entirely. "You think I give a fuck about cheerleading? Please."

"I think you're just upset right now and you really do care-." I stopped myself before I finished my sentence. There was something so very off about this situation. I didn't know anyone who smoked, and even if I did, I know they wouldn't be out smoking alone. This was Santana's secret and now I knew. But that wasn't all.

There was a distinct bluish red mark under Santana's eye. Something that couldn't have gone unnoticed if we were in broad daylight. "What, did you already lose your guts to tear me down?" She questioned harshly.

"No but I am curious about who hit you." That shut her up and made her turn away from me. She tossed her blunt on the ground and stomped it out, grinding it deep into the gravel.

"No one hit me, it was just a stupid accident…Casey Elway forgot to cut her nails, and on her way down from a lift she scratched me." She turned back around and watched me for a moment. "Anyway I'm gonna head home-."

"You're not driving are you?" I questioned hoping to God that she would say no. In her state she shouldn't be operating anything.

"No I'm walking." She informed me.

"It's dark and I won't let you walk alone. My father would be happy to take you." Santana laughed and I wondered what I said that was so funny.

"Your father would smell the weed on me from a mile away. I'm not going to get you in trouble. Besides I don't think I'm gonna go home anyway." I didn't want to ask what that meant, I was far too afraid of the answer. "Don't look at me like that!" She snapped completely out of the blue.

"Like what?" I asked timidly.

"Like I'm some fucked up freak!" She snapped. I wanted to hug her more than ever right now, but I knew she would never let me. "I just needed a release, just like you." She explained. I got where she was coming from, but I was far from agreeing with her. Smoking wasn't the same thing as singing.

"A release from what?" Santana laughed again and this time I knew I couldn't take it back. Santana seemed hurt and broken, and I was foolish for even thinking that I could try and fix her. She would never let me. That's why she was going over Brittany's house and not taking me up on my offer. "Why are you so angry with me? I just…I want to help you."

"You can help me by not caring." She said. I watched her reached under the stairs to grab her black bag, and she slung it over her shoulder. I could see it in her eyes, she was so willing to just walk away from me, but she didn't. "Where's your dad?"

"He must be running late…I'll just wait over there by the school entrance." I turned around and solemnly began walking back towards the way I came. I didn't realize until I was halfway across the parking lot but Santana was most certainly at my side. "Are you following me?"

"No I'm protecting you. Some pedo in a white van drives by and sees you with a cutesy little sweater on and he'll think he's hit the jackpot. I've got a knife and my fist so I'll wait until your dad comes." Now it was beginning to be nearly impossible not to just hug her. She was protecting _me_? I'd just insulted her in more ways than one, and she still was going to look out for me.

"So you can care about me, but I can't care about you?" I questioned once we reached the front steps of the school. Santana sat down and I stood. This seemed to mirror our positions yesterday while I was cleaning the room at the hospital.

"Seems that way." She said with a smile. "Sorry I was a jerk back there…I just thought for a second that you were going to tell." She was so afraid of something. No, she was afraid of someone. "My parents would freak."

"So they're very strict?"

"Yes, everything has to be perfect. I have to be perfect. I shouldn't be out this late and I shouldn't have gotten a B+ on my stupid English paper." I watched her eyebrows furrow and I turned away. Why was she being so hard on herself?

"I'm sure your parents are proud-."

"No they're embarrassed by me. I'm not at the top of the class…you are." The way she said it, it almost sounded like she hated me. For a second I think she did. "How do you do it? I've worked my ass off, what do you do that makes you so special?"

"You're just as smart as me, you just are afraid of failure while I embrace success." I explained to her knowing it would only make her resent me more.

"I have reason to be afraid." She said quietly.

"What does that mean?" I questioned all too quickly. She looked behind me and I heard my father's car approach. The window was rolled down behind me but I still didn't turn away from her. "Santana what do you mean-."

"It means nothing, it means go back home with your family." She stood up and walked away without even glancing back over at me.

…

Charlie's POV

I knocked on the Pierces front door for the sixth time. I'd gone over here a few times, but enough to know that the doorbell was broken. I checked my phone clock: 9:47 p.m. It wasn't too late to get into some trouble on a Friday night. Brittany opened the door and greeted me with a huge smile.

"Quinn, you hair is so rockin." I don't know how many times I've told her that my name is Charlie, but every time she gets it wrong.

"It's Charlie, and is Santana over here?" Brittany scooted back so I could come inside. I looked around for a moment, realizing that Brittany's parents weren't home. Brittany grabbed my hand, pulled me upstairs, and practically dragged me into her room.

Santana was comfortably seated on the love-seat in front of Brittany's TV. She didn't even notice when I walked in. "San!" Brittany exclaimed bouncing over and sitting down on Santana's lap. Clearly I was interrupting. It took Santana a moment to register that I was standing in the threshold of the door, but when she did she didn't exactly look happy.

"Britt, would you excuse me for a sec? Gotta talk to Pink over there." I rolled my eyes at the nickname, but smiled when Santana got up and pushed me out of Brittany's room. "What are you doing here? You could've called me instead."

"Yeah and you would've told me to fuck off. Quinn was worried about you, she said ever since the grades came out you've been tense."

"Yeah and? What are you gonna do? Hack the computer system and change them? I have an A- in English…that's not good enough." I looked at her like she was crazy. She had over a 4.0 grade point average with all the advanced and AP classes she was taking. She was overworking herself, which is what she always did.

"I know what you need." I informed her. I reached into my pocket and pulled out the only two things in there. Three blunts in a plastic bag and my cheap white lighter. "It'll loosen you up." I prodded.

"Fuck no. Britts isn't down with smoking. She thinks that fat fuck of a cat is a smoker or something." I smiled because I knew _Brittany logic_ was very different than the logic of anyone else.

"She doesn't have to know. Just tell her you need to go get something out of my car. Come on. The Santana Lopez I used to know would stop bein a little bitch and smoke the fuck outta this shit." Santana grabbed the front of my shirt and smirked at the challenge. She was never one to back down.

"Hey Britt, baby girl I need to grab something out of Charlie's car. I'll be right back." Brittany waved in acknowledgment but she didn't say anything. She was way too into the movie she was currently watching. Santana lead the way out of the house and we walked side by side into the night air towards my car.

"_Baby girl_? What do I have to do to get a charming little nickname like that?" I joked.

"Not be an asshole." Santana responded with that sly smirk of hers. I unlocked the door and we slid into the backseat. I closed the door and pulled out my lighter and one joint. "Why did Quinnie send you over anyway? Why didn't she come herself?" I took a quick hit of the blunt and held it in for a few seconds before exhaling.

"I volunteered myself. Plus Quinn has troubles of her own. You know with Puck or whatever." Santana nodded before taking the blunt out of my hands and taking a huge hit of her own. As she exhaled she began coughing and I placed my hand on her thigh to get her to slow down.

"Whoa there, take it easy."

"This isn't doin it for me. This is good stuff but…I'm not getting high enough." Santana gave me this grin that read: bad news. She was so manipulative. It was a shame that she wasn't just a lawyer right now. I shook my head no before she even opened her mouth. "Come on…shot gunning is not that bad."

"I know but…fine whatever, I'm game." I said matching Santana's grin. "You remember how to do this?"

"Please I'm a pro." Santana whispered as I leaned in close to her. I took a long burning drag of the blunt. A mix of heat and pleasure filled my lungs as I placed my hand on the front of Santana's shirt. Our mouths meshed together seconds later and I released all of the burning sensation into her mouth.

I disconnected our mouths for a second before diving back in and kissing her gently. She pulled back quickly with a questioning glare.

"This isn't _The L Word_ pinky."

"Sorry…just got in the moment. I get wild when I'm high." I deflected. Santana shrugged and took three more hits before she was getting out of my car. She'd already walked halfway up Brittany's driveway when I had managed to get myself into my front seat and started my engine.

"Wait where the hell are you goin? You can chill with Britt and me." She offered.

"No, I got somewhere to be...if you ever want to relax just call and I'll be there for you." I assured her. She gave me nothing but her middle finger in the air, but I'd take it. Santana Lopez, she's a wild one.

…

Santana's POV

I didn't go to the hospital on Sunday, and with good reason. I'd been avoiding Rachel since that stupid talk we had after school. There was something about the way she pitied me that hurt more than Quinn's pity.

Maybe it was because Rachel was a loser. She was a freakin loser who wanted to feel sorry for me. That's why I was standing here watching two jocks rip Rachel to shreds only twenty feet in front of me. There wasn't really anyone around, and that kind of made me sick. Why were they trying to bully her when no one was here to watch?

"Stupid little freak!" The larger of the two boys yelled slamming Rachel's locker shut. The other boy yanked her books from her hands and threw them across the floor. Rachel was crying now, she was terrified.

I turned away and opened up my locker pulling out the books I would need for tonight.

"Somebody should've forced your faggot fathers out of this town a long time ago! We'll make your life hell and you'll be begging to leave." I flinched at the word _faggot_ and glanced back at Rachel. The smaller guy grabbed Rachel's wrist roughly and began laughing as she struggled to get out of his grips. "Wouldn't be such a tragedy if one of those homos show up dead, would it?" I was disgusted with myself for watching this. I just couldn't take anymore of it.

"Hey!" I yelled walking over towards the boys and Rachel. "Fuck off or I'll personally make your lives hell." The boy quickly let go of Rachel's wrist and they both turned to look at me.

"Santana we were just messing around with her." I hated the way my name sounded coming out of his mouth.

"Well how about you refrain from messing with _her _again. I catch you and I cut off your balls, plain and simple." He swallowed audibly and they both exchanged worried glances. "Beat it." They rushed out of my sight and I stared down the hallway daring someone to step forward and challenge me. I was so in the moment, I'd almost forgotten how power felt.

I was in my own head. I didn't snap out of it until Rachel gently touched my wrist. I flinched and pulled away.

"You didn't have to-."

"Fuck those guys." I said walking over and picking up her books off the floor. "I…sorry that happened to you." I couldn't think of anything comforting to say to her. She didn't make eye contact with me, instead she took her stuff and reopened her locker. "Are you going home now?" I asked her once she'd zipped up her backpack and closed her locker.

"I'm supposed to be walking home today-."

"Well you're not. I'll drive you." I offered.

"Okay." She said shyly. She played with her hair for a moment, and I figured it must have just been a nervous habit. We walked outside and headed out to the parking lot. "You really don't have to do this. You shouldn't feel obligated to protect me." We got into my car and I pulled out of the parking lot and turned left.

"I don't feel obligated I just…you're nothing like my other friends." I finally said.

"Hopefully that's a good thing." She said with a smile.

"It is." I said smiling in delight that I'd just made her blush. My phone buzzed and I grabbed it quickly, almost half expecting it to be Quinn, offering up her house tonight for a sleepover. "Hello?"

"San! It's Q, where the fuck are you? I need you right now! Charlie didn't come home last night and I have no idea where the hell she is-." Quinn had reached frantic and terrified about five syllables in, now she was desperate. Charlie hadn't come home? That was not like her at all.

"Wait, have you called her? What do your parents know?" I tried to sound calm but I wasn't. Charlie and that Wilson guy were getting mixed up in something, and I just wish she'd be careful.

"They don't know shit but they're about to when we have to call the police to file a god damn mother fucking-."

"Quinn just chill out!" I snapped at her, trying to think clearly. "I'll swing by and pick you up so we can both look for Charlie. Stay there okay?" She muffled an 'okay' before I hung up and tossed my phone into the backseat.

"Is everything okay?" Rachel asked with furrowed eyebrows.

"Yeah everything's fine…do you mind if we take a little detour before I drop you off?"

**Read and Review Please.**


	7. Mood Indigo

Quinn's POV

"About fucking time, what took you so-." As soon as I opened the car door and saw the girl I'd slushied twice sitting there I was sure I was dreaming. Dreaming made a hell of a lot of since right now. Charlie wasn't missing and some loser wasn't sitting in the front seat with Santana.

"Um would you like the front seat? I can get in back." She hadn't made eye contact with me, and she was reaching for her seatbelt when Santana stopped her.

"No, Q get in back, let's go." I rolled my eyes but did as Santana said because I was only worried about my sister right now. "She didn't answer her phone when I called her too…what time did she leave last night?" Santana asked me as we sped off and headed towards Lima Heights.

"I dunno, 9 maybe 10." I said trying to jog my memory. I remember that I hadn't really seen Charlie all that much this weekend anyway. But I know I'd just gotten back from Brittany's house when Charlie headed out. "You know she doesn't really do this San."

"I know." Santana didn't want to talk. When she was focused, she rarely even opened her mouth. I knew how much she cared about Charlie and me though, the way she was handling this let me know. If it were Brittany out there she would've had the freaking F.B.I. out there looking for her. Santana knew we couldn't do that. Getting my parents involved was the last resort.

"You saw Charlie on Friday right?" I asked Santana. I scooted up in my seat so I could see through the front window of the car. "What happened? Cause Saturday she seemed pissed."

"Nothing happened, she came over to Britt's house, we went outside and smoked and then she drove off. I assumed she was meeting up with Wilson." Every time I heard that idiots name, I began to hate him more.

"Is there anything I can do?" I wished I had a slushy in my hands right now so I could dump it on that girl's head. She needed to stay out of this right now.

"Hey this is none of your business alright, so shut up. Why is she even here?" Santana ignored my question and she rolled down her window. We were slowing down and pulling up next to a kid of about 20 who looked homeless. He was wearing a worn hat and torn jeans, his back was pressed up against a brick wall, and a stray dog was curled up at his feet.

"Marco!" Santana shouted. The boy looked at Santana and for a second I thought he was just going to ignore her altogether. He slowly walked over pressing his forearms on the bottom of the open window.

"What's your deal Lopez, bringing these fine young gals in this part of town? Lookin for a good time?" I clinched my fist but Santana just rolled her eyes.

"Where's Charlie?" Santana asked cutting straight to the chase. I was lucky to have Santana around. Sure, she had a nice house and she was actually pretty wealthy, but she lived in Lima Heights Adjacent, and this is the place where bad things happened. I hated that Charlie even felt the need to come to this side of town just to get away.

"What's my reward for helping you out?" He asked wiggling his eyebrows at me. I could've gagged.

"I won't run your ass over. You've got 3 seconds-."

"Look I don't know where your girl is, but Wilson is out in front of Ronny's house, he'd know." Santana managed to avoid saying thank you before she sped off down the road. She hanged a dangerous right turn and we passed by some run down and abandoned apartments.

"Rachel, are you okay?" The smaller brunette nodded. "I'm sorry about this, I'll take you home soon." Why the hell was she apologizing to _Rachel_? Who cares?

Santana pulled to a halt and she already had her door open before I could protest. There were about four boys sitting on the stoop of this small urban looking house. I assumed this was Ronny's house, but I couldn't tell which one of the boys was Wilson. "You two stay here-."

"Not a chance, I'm coming with you." I pushed open the back door and chanced a glance over my shoulder at Rachel in the passenger's seat. Yep, she was terrified.

"Hey boys, fine day isn't it?" Santana said with overt sarcasm. The guys turned and ran their eyes all over Santana's body, but then they turned to me.

"Damn Charlie never told us how much we were missing out." I looked down at the ground hoping we could get this over with as quickly as possible.

"Save it, where's Charlie? She didn't come home last night." Santana said boldly.

"Calm down bombshell, did you try calling her?" That was Wilson, it must have been because he had this little moment of compassion as he spoke. If he stayed around my sister all the time then I would hope he might at least care for her.

"You think we would be here if we didn't? She didn't come home last night." Santana explained.

"No she left like 40 minutes ago, said she was going back home." I didn't know if I was supposed to believe him, but it looked like Santana did. Wilson reached into his pocket and pulled out his phone. He pressed one button and put the phone to his ear. After about twenty seconds, he looked up at me. "Yeah, hey Charlie…your girlfriend and your twin are here…they look worried as fuck…so you're at home…okay, bye." He gave us an I told you so glare and shoved his phone back into his pocket. "She was probably screening calls because she thought her rents might call. Should've seen her earlier…your girl was high as fuck."

"Alright, chill…we'll check you again never." Santana said staring the boys down. Santana grabbed my wrist and we walked back towards her car. I got in without a word because I knew Santana was pissed. "Okay here's what's gonna happen…we'll take Rachel home, then I'm gonna go to your house and beat the fuck out of Charlie."

"Don't be mad at her." I pleaded.

"Why not?" I know why she was upset. I know she was annoyed about having to come out here and she hated having to put on her bad girl attitude for show, but that wasn't why she was upset. She was pissed because she cared so much about Charlie, and the last thing she wanted to do was care.

"She'll thank you for coming out here and looking for her." I informed Santana.

"I was supposed to be home by now." Santana said biting the inside of her cheek. I watched in frustration because I knew something was eating at her.

"I think it would be better if I just walked home from Quinn's house Santana." I'd almost forgotten that she was here.

"No Rachel that's not fair. Do you want me to talk to your dad? I'm really sorry about getting you home late." What the hell was this?

"You've been incredibly generous to me Santana. My father won't be worried if I tell them that I was working late in the auditorium." I watched in awe at this interaction. Why was Santana being so sweet? "Thank you for taking me home, and thank you for allowing me to stay Quinn."

"Yeah sure whatever dwarf."

…...

Santana's POV

"Don't think we're a bunch of psycho freaks." I told Rachel as I sat down in the wooden chair next to her in the library. There wasn't really anyone around and when I scooted closer to her she flinched. She was afraid.

I figured it was because of those guys who were bothering her yesterday, but I could've been wrong. "I know you're not, so don't worry." She said faking a smile. I sighed and closed the book she was reading and slid it across the table. "What are you-."

"Did I do something wrong?" I asked all too quickly.

"No." She said almost painfully. She still hadn't looked at me. "You actually did everything right…I just, I've never been in situations like that. Gosh, you must think I'm this little child-."

"You're not." I assured her. "I would've taken you home first but Quinn was so scared…she's my friend okay. I know you don't like her, but she only lashes out like that when she's afraid."

"You don't have to explain it to me-."

"But I do. You've got this whole picture of us, this idea of who we are, but that's not true. I just wanted you to know that." I thought about standing up and storming out. I figured this could be the last time talking to her and that would be perfectly fine with me. I just couldn't move though, she had this look of curiosity and fear on her face, and it would have killed me to leave her here like this. "So this is how you get to the top of the class?" I reached across the table and grabbed the book I'd tossed aside earlier. "_To Kill A Mockingbird_." I read the cover aloud.

"It's not for school, just reading for pleasure." She blushed and took the book away from me, making sure to find her page and crease the page over so she wouldn't lose her place.

"For pleasure, huh?" I asked with a playful grin. Her eyes shot up to mine and she matched my playful grin. She was bolder than I thought, she didn't crumble under my stare like I'd expected.

"Sanni!" I looked over to see Brittany skipping over towards me. Before I could stand up and greet her she already hand her hands around my body and was lifting me up out of my seat and into the air.

"Britt, come on." I said trying not to laugh. She let me down a second later and looked over my shoulder at Rachel.

"Did you find Quinn? She said she was looking for you." Brittany said still was looking at Rachel who was now standing shyly behind me.

"Britt stop staring." I said. "This is Rachel." I said and before Brittany could go over and crush Rachel with a hug, I stopped her. "Why is Quinn looking for me?" I asked.

"She wants you to come over her house and talk to Charlie because Charlie's being a meanie and not talking to Q. She thinks something must have happened to Charlie, but I just think Charlie likes some space." I nodded in understanding. Brittany was probably right, Charlie was sort of distant all the time. "But if you talk to Charlie you'd better not smoke with her, you stopped right?"

"I won't smoke with her." I said even if I wasn't sure. "I'll go find her, but you're supposed to be with Ms. Rhodes for math tutoring." Brittany rolled her eyes and frowned.

"But Sanni I like when you tutor me." Brittany said holding onto my hand.

"I can tutor you too, I just think Ms. Rhodes is lonely and loves having you around. You should do it to make her happy." Brittany nodded and smiled. I knew she liked nothing more than to make people happy.

"Ok, see you at cheer practice." She kissed me on the cheek and waved goodbye to Rachel before skipping off.

"You have a way with words." Rachel said after a long silence between us.

"No, just with Brittany." I assured her. "Has anyone messed with you? I mean since yesterday?" I questioned as we walked out of the library.

"No I think you successfully scared them away. Which of course you shouldn't have done. I mean you're walking me to my locker right now…there are people watching." I shrugged and continued walking down the hall with her. "This doesn't bother you. The stares…no, those are actually glares. It doesn't bother you? Because I can cry on demand, I can pretend that you're tearing me down instead of talking to me, I know what your reputation must mean to you."

"Would you please give that a rest? If I want to talk to you then I will, okay?" She gave me this small adorable smile and I leaned my back against her locker. "So…after cheer practice I'm gonna be stuck at school for a bit. What exactly do you do in the auditorium?"

…

Rachel's POV

I scribbled some annotations down in my history book. I tried to be neat, but history was simple to me, and even if I had a quiz tomorrow, I'm sure I'd do fine. The truth was I can get nervous. Not about school, I was nervous about Santana.

There was just something about her…no it was her presence really. From a distance, she seemed like she should be overpowering, but she wasn't.

"So what's so special about this place?" I looked up from where I was seated on the stage and saw Santana walking towards me. She must have showered and changed out of cheerleading uniform because she looked comfortable and clean. She was holding her Cheerios duffle bag in her left hand before she tossed it on the floor in front of me. She hoisted her body up on the stage and began walking around.

"This must seem familiar to you." I said wondering how many times she'd been center stage at her cheerleading competitions. The crowds screaming, parents urging their kids to prevail, that must have felt good. "I mean being on the stage."

"It's not the same when there's no one in here." She said looking out towards the empty chairs.

"That's why I like it." I said closing my history book. I stood up and watched as Santana's fingers traced over the piano on the other side of the stage. I watched her with interest as she ran her fingers over the keys. "I just feel sort of small." I told her and she cocked an eyebrow.

"You are small." She joked.

"No, small in comparison to this auditorium. Sort of like a microcosm for the world, don't you think?" She must have thought I was such a loser. More than before. She smirked for a moment before playing 'Hot Cross Buns' on the piano. "Who knew you were such a talent." I joked.

"That sounded like a challenge to me." Santana said sitting down on the bench in front of the piano. "_Mood Indigo_ by Duke Ellington." I didn't get a chance to brace myself for the magic that Santana was about to demonstrate. She was graceful, but with a playful nature. For a moment I was sure she didn't know I was even in there, she was so into the music. I didn't want it to stop, but when it did neither one of us moved. "Not so cocky now are we?" She said with a grin.

"You're full of surprises." I said completely taken aback. "Why hide something so amazing?" I questioned.

"I'm not hiding." She said defensively.

"You are hiding…you must be hiding from something." I said sitting down on the piano bench next to her.

"Yeah maybe I am…who isn't?"

…

Quinn's POV

"Who's taking you home?" I asked Santana as we walked off the football field. She looked exhausted, but no one could tell but me. Sue was pushing her too hard. She'd been pushing her hard for weeks. I thought it was so she could see who was stronger between the two of us, but Santana was clearly stronger, but Sue just wanted to see when she would break.

"I drove today." Santana said dangling her keys in front of me. I smiled but then returned to my serious demeanor when Santana rubbed her shoulder and winced.

"Sue's pushing you too hard." She bit back an angry reply and instead she continued walking to her car. We'd parked close to one another and I watched her open her trunk and put in her duffle bag.

"Sue always pushes us hard." Santana said slamming her trunk shut.

"Sure whatever." I said looking down at my feet. "My parents are out, you wanna come over?" I offered. It wasn't until Santana raised an eyebrow that I realized how pervy I'd just sounded.

"Are you offering up your services of the sexual variety Quinn Fabray?" Santana joked.

"Oh you wish." I replied trying to hide my burning red cheeks.

"You're right; I've wanted to get up on that tight ass for years." Sometimes I hated how playful Santana could get. I could not have been blushing anymore than I was now and Santana was enjoying every second of it.

"I'm just gonna ignore you….forever." I said giving her a sly grin. "When you get home text me-."

"You sure you're alright? Britt said you're at odds with Charlie." Santana was concerned, but she didn't have to be. I was always at odds with Charlie.

"I can handle it." I lied.

"Whatever you say Barbie." Santana got into the driver's seat of her car and rolled down her windows. "See you later." I watched her drive off, wondering if she'd actually go home this time.

I can't remember the last time I'd been to Santana's house. I can't remember the last time I was greeted at her door or we watched a movie in her basement. Something was going on that made her hate her home.

Not that my home life was much better. My father was so overbearing and Charlie was pushing so far away that I just felt so alone. My mother would never be there for me, that I learned at a young age, but I always thought I had Charlie.

Some things never change…but most things do.

…

I was lazily flipping through a magazine as I lay down on my bed. Charlie of course wasn't home, which I'd gotten used to by now, but I still missed her.

I heard a creak in the floorboards and my eyes shot to the hallway. My parents were out at a benefit dinner and Charlie wasn't exactly one for using stairs. I saw a flash of pink and suddenly the air in the entire house changed.

Charlie ran into the bathroom and slammed the door shut, the water was turned on, and the glass that was used for rinsing out my mouth fell to the floor and shattered. I stood up, tentatively, and began walking towards the bathroom.

The water was still running and the door was closed. "Charlie? Are you alright?" My voice sounded weak and layered with worry. Charlie made no attempt to open the door or respond to my question. My hand was on the doorknob, I turned it, and it clicked open.

I didn't push forward just yet, I was afraid of what I might see. A stoned Charlie, or maybe she was just drunk this time. "I'm gonna…" _Come in_. I walked in and closed the door behind me just in case my parents decided to come home early. I looked at Charlie, hair a mess, as she frantically washed her hands. I wanted to move closer but I was paralyzed with fear. "What's going on Char?"

"It won't…fuck! It won't come out!" She was scrubbing so hard that I thought she was going to scrub her skin clear off. I rushed over to my sister, I didn't know what to do so I tried to pull her away from the sink, she was hurting her hands, she was…she was bleeding. "Quinn get away!" She yelled, but that only made me hold on to her arm tighter.

"What happened? Why is there blood on your-?" I grabbed the front of her shirt so that she would face me. Blood was smeared on the front of her shirt, there were a few rips in it, I couldn't think…and I damn well couldn't say anything coherently. "C-char….why…what happened?"

"Nothing." Her hands were trembling and I wished she would just look at me, but she wouldn't. When was she going to crack a joke? When was she going to turn around with a grin, saying _I got you Quinnie_, and holding up a tube of fake blood from last years Halloween party? "Quinn…I'm scared…" She fell to the ground and I rushed over to wrap my arms around her. She began crying, she was shaking so bad and crying that I didn't know if we'd ever leave this spot.

She didn't tell me what happened to her, but she was here, and I was going to make sure my sister was safe. I'd make sure she'd never cry like this again.

**A little Angst at the end, but I hope you guys liked this chapter. Review please.**


	8. Born to Run

**I think some of you guys want a little bit of Charlie x Santana, which I can understand. This is a Pezberry story though, but Charlie obviously plays an important role in this as well. I hope you all enjoy this chapter. **

Santana's POV

"You have to think about it in a different way. This isn't as simple as either one of us wants it to be. Everyone deserves to be safe in this world, but we can't get high and mighty when it comes to our actions. When someone bombs us, it's terrorism. When we bomb them it's terrorism." I watched in awe as Rachel argued her point to Steven Rockwell. They'd actually been arguing for about 15 minutes, but no one in the class thought to interrupt, including our history teacher.

"Sometimes it's necessary." Steven retorted.

"Yeah…and that's exactly what they're saying on the other side of the world. Two sides can be wrong, especially if no one is looking to be right." I wanted to run over and give Rachel a high five for that, but that would have caused a scene. Steven's face reddened like a tomato when he'd realized he'd lost this one, and Mrs. Haggle decided that now was a good time to continue the lesson.

I looked over at Rachel; she was flustered but clearly content. It was admirable the way she stood up for her beliefs, and so gracefully too. Usually if I'm in an argument, it ends with yelling or fists, usually the latter.

I don't understand why she never caught my eye before. I mean she sticks out like a sore thumb, always wearing those skirts and weird argyle sweaters. I guess that might have to do with the fact that I spend most of the day in my own world, thinking about everything and everyone, except myself.

That's the hardest thing right? Thinking about yourself, evaluating what a complete failure you are. I got so tired of doing that in middle school, so now the focus is projected on anyone but me.

The bell rang and I flinched, knocking my pencil on the floor. I reached down to pick it up and I grabbed it wondering if it was actually mine or if I'd stolen it from a freshmen. I got out of my desk and walked towards the door. It was lunchtime and I was starving from not eating dinner last night. I was about to exit the room when I heard a backpack being zipped up behind me. I turned and saw that Rachel and Mrs. Haggle were the only two people left in the room.

Now I had two options. Walk away like a normal person or go over there and attempt to make small talk with Rachel. I think I have to go with the second option.

"That was pretty ballsy of you." I said pressing my hand down on her desk and leaning slightly so I could catch her eye.

"I wouldn't use that terminology, but yes I guess I'm a pretty ballsy person sometimes." Rachel replied with a smile. "Why are you going out of your way to tell me this though? Did I surprise you that much?"

"You did." I said reaching down and lifting up her backpack to see how heavy it was. "You got a body in there?" I questioned eyeing her suspiciously.

"I like to carry around my books. I tend to avoid stopping at my locker and spending too much time in the hallways." I know what she meant. She wanted to avoid being bullied. "You look stressed out…I must have said something wrong. I apologize. My retort wasn't aimed at you; I mean you've never hurt me."

"But I've never helped you either." I looked away from her when I said this, I was too afraid of how she might respond.

"Don't make this into some life discussion in between classes." Rachel said. "I know my place…and you don't have to change that." I watched her walking away, ashamed that I couldn't respond to her. She had a point, and a damn good one at that.

I left the history classroom with my backpack lazily slung over my shoulder. I still had enough time to go in and grab something to eat, but now I wasn't really feeling up to it. I went to my locker and exchanged my books for English class and I headed that way instead.

I didn't realize someone was following me until I turned the corner. I stopped abruptly and turned on my heels. Surprisingly it was just Quinn standing there, but the look on her face clued me in that something was up.

"Stalker much." I said giving her a sideways glance. "What exactly is your deal? You're kinda freakin me out." I said.

"It's Charlie." Quinn said looking down at her feet. "She hasn't said a word, but…just come over later-."

"I can't Q, my dad hates when I'm out late like this, he already gave me shit for last week. I dunno…what's wrong with Charlie?" I asked.

"She's acting strange." Quinn said. I paused hoping that she had a little more to say than that.

"Yeah, so? How is that different from any other day?" I asked.

"I don't ask you for favors San, but this time…please." Quinn's eyes told me how scared she was. I was sure that I couldn't get out of this, not with the way Quinn was staring me down.

"You don't have to beg, I care about you and Charlie, okay?" Quinn nodded. Quinn continued to look down at the ground. I reached out and grabbed her hand. "You're my best friend; no one comes before you okay?"

"Don't get sentimental on me San, don't you dare." Quinn said tugging my hand close and pulling me into a hug. I smiled knowing that Quinn was the one person in the world who understood me the most.

"Sorry…I just, whatever." I said trying to brush it off. "I'll be at your place tonight…I'll go through the window."

…

Rachel's POV

I stood out in front of the school, watching as the swimmers got out of practice and rushed to their parents vans. My father was always on time and truly I just wanted to wait outside where the wind was gently blowing and the cars were zooming past me.

I kept my backpack at my feet and I fixed my sweater for the third time. I couldn't help but think back to my encounter with Santana earlier today. Did she really care if I'd stood up for myself? It certainly wasn't that big of a deal.

I heard the doors open behind me, but I didn't even chance a look. More swimmers or maybe this time it'd be basketball players. Sure the fall season wasn't over, but that didn't mean the winter season hadn't started. I heard three sets of feet shuffling out and down the steps. It wasn't until someone stopped right beside me that I looked over.

"You got a ride?" Santana asked with Quinn and Brittany standing behind her. I could see the look on Quinn's face, she was totally annoyed, but Brittany gave me this shy smile.

"Yes my father should be leaving work soon." I replied, hoping that Santana would leave it at that. I enjoyed talking to her alone, but Quinn was staring daggers through me and I don't know how long I could take this.

"Britt has to wait for her mom too; maybe you too could wait together?" Santana suggested. I didn't mind this one bit, I mean Brittany was probably the only person in the school who smiled at me, besides Santana of course. "Would that be okay Britt, Rachel's really nice and you could talk to her until your mom comes."

"Okay." Brittany replied cheerfully.

"Okay great, no need to drag this out, let's get the hell out of here." Quinn said trying to pull Santana away.

"Hold on Fabray." Santana snapped. "Now Britt, do you have your cell phone? If you need anything just call me."

"Okay Tana." Brittany wrapped her arms around Santana and kissed her cheek before they pulled away. I looked out towards the parking lot catching Quinn's little look of annoyance. Clearly, she wanted to be somewhere else. "I'll see you tomorrow."

Santana looked back twice over her shoulder. The first time she gave Brittany a smile, but the second look was directed at me. It was a look that told me to keep an eye out for Brittany. A look that told me, she doesn't normally trust anyone like she's trusting me now. I watched her get into Quinn's car, they drove off shortly after, I missed Santana's gaze already.

"So Brittany, how did you enjoy your cheer practice?" I asked trying to create small talk before things had the opportunity of getting awkward.

"It was fine I guess. I really hate it when Sue's mean to Tana though." I didn't have time to dwell on the fact that the nickname _Tana _was beyond adorable, I was more focused on the fact that Brittany was worried about Santana.

"What do you mean by that?" I questioned.

"It's just…Sue always pushes Tana so hard. She has to run more than everyone else does, and she has to go into the weight room in the morning to build up muscle even if she's stronger than everyone else. And sometimes when she gets pushed too hard she has to run inside and throw up." I didn't know what to say to that, there were about a million actions I thought about taking in this moment. One being getting Coach Sue fired immediately, but I knew I could never have the power to do that.

"Why doesn't anyone stop her?" I asked.

"It's not like we can say anything. Tana and Quinnie are the captains and they can't complain. Plus you don't know Tana; she's the toughest girl I know." Brittany assured me.

"I wish she wouldn't have to hurt like that." I said as if it was some sort of consolation.

"It's okay because she has Quinn and Charlie and me to make sure she smiles."

"Why does she need you guys to make her smile? I'm sure she has other people in her life that make her happy." I sounded too optimistic, too hopeful than I meant to. I wanted Brittany to tell me about the time when Santana smiled because of me, or the time when she held back a grin because of me. It didn't seem fair that Santana only had three people to make her happy, why not four.

I sound like a selfish cow right now, but I couldn't help it. Everyone wants something, who cares if I'm selfish about it?

"No…I mean San's never home. She always goes over Quinn's or sometimes my place. I don't get it." Brittany said keeping her head down.

"How long have you known her?" I questioned.

"All my life. She's always there for me, she looks out for me, and she takes care of me." Brittany said looking me in the eyes for the first time today. "You know she's not like anyone else I know. People always have this idea about her but it's never true."

"What do you mean Brittany?" I questioned.

"I don't know how to explain it." Brittany said shaking her head. "Other people know I'm not smart-."

"Brittany I'm sure you're a very intelligent girl-." I encouraged.

"No I'm not, but Santana makes me feel like I am. When my parents go away on business trips Santana stays awake all night to make sure I'm okay. Do you want to be her friend?" I didn't quite understand what she meant and the thing that made me feel comfortable right now is that Brittany didn't care if I understood what she meant. Brittany looked down at my backpack and then she looked out towards the road. "Because if you want to be her friend I wouldn't try it."

"What? Why not? I thought you were close with her-."

"And I am…and I know how hard it is to be close to her. She used to smile everyday, now it's rare. If you get close to her then you'll start asking yourself questions. Questions like, did I do something to hurt her? Did I cause her to feel so distant? You'll never be able to answer those questions and that's what will hurt you the most. Because if you get to know Santana then you'll care to much about her." I wanted to cry to her, I wanted to cry for Brittany. I never knew she felt this way, I've never had a conversation with her and this one was absolutely heartbreaking.

Who was this brilliant girl standing in front of me?

"I'm not afraid to care about someone." I informed Brittany.

"Yeah?" A van pulled up with a blonde woman in the driver's seat. She waved to Brittany and gave me a smile just because I was standing there. Brittany pulled her backpack over her shoulder and walked towards her mom's van. She stopped and turned to me. "You may be smarter than me but I think this time you might be making a mistake."

Well this is the only chance in my life that is worth taking because if I don't then I'll surely find out what a true mistake is.

…

Charlie's POV

I looked over when I heard a knock on my window. I jumped up to my feet; no one comes through my window except for me usually, so I guess I was more than curious. Even if it was going to be some serial killer, anything would beat me sitting around on my ass feeling sorry for myself.

I walked over to my window and lifted the window up. I was more than surprised to see Santana there, bundled up in a leather jacket and black jeans. She practically tossed me out of the way, as she climbed into my room. She had on black low top boots, which she quickly discarded on my floor along with her jacket.

It was raining outside and clearly, Santana had no way of covering her body to protect from the downpour. Her hair was dripping wet and so was her, now see-through, white t-shirt. "What are you doing here?" I asked her as she pulled her t-shirt over her head and went over to rummage though my things for a clean shirt.

"You're hardly in any position to be asking the questions." Santana said as she grabbed one of my long sleeve black shirts that I received from Toni's tattoo parlor for free last year. The shirt was too big on Santana, but she didn't really seem to mind. "Quinn told me you've been acting like an asshole and you won't tell her why."

I didn't know how much Quinn had told Santana. I mean about the blood or about how I was shaking like a maniac when I came home. I figured Quinn would want to protect me, but at what costs?

"So what?" I said trying to act indifferent. Santana looked over her shoulder at me. She could see right through me.

"Stop acting like that, shit I'm not going to let you act like that with me." Santana said grabbing my arm and throwing me down on the bed. "Now we're gonna sit here and smoke and figure this out because I sure as hell didn't come over here for nothing." I smirked knowing that Santana was going to try to get what she wanted no matter what.

I went over to my footlocker and pulled out my stash. I reopened my window and tossed the small baggie to Santana. "I'm not really in the mood though." I said as I tossed her the lighter.

"Total pansy." Santana mumbled with the joint in her mouth. She was already taking a drag when I returned to the spot next to her. She exhaled right into my face causing me to pull back with a laugh.

"You're kinda tiny did you know that?" I asked her as I really noticed how big my shirt was on her.

"Okay I've got a lighter in my hand I don't think you want to play this game." She threatened as she took another drag. I watched her mouth as she exhaled. She was a pro at this, the way she could push the smoke out towards me. Her eyes were trained on mine, and we watched each other watch the other for far too long before breaking eye contact. "Creep much." Santana said. "So come on, spill it, what's your deal?"

"Got into some trouble…nothing to worry about." I lied.

"Fuck you." Santana said suddenly standing up and turning away from me. I started to stand to, but Santana's shoulder's tensed just at my movement. "She loves you, you fucking idiot." Santana didn't have the right to talk to me about Quinn, but I wasn't about to tell her that. I grabbed her arm and pulled her back towards my bed.

"Just sit down." I said looking down at her lips to my joint. She was almost out. "Alright let me get the last drag." I said holding out my hand. All I got in response is laugh.

"I don't think so." She said with her totally snobby and totally stoned smile.

"You take the drag then but let's shotgun it." Santana pondered for a moment before nodding her hand in agreement. She grabbed the front of my shirt as she was taking a drag. I didn't wait for her to tug my in closer, I pressed my lips to hers before she could even think about it. The heat felt delicious in my body and even if I knew I'd gotten my fill I didn't pull away.

She was high, she was so high right now and her lips were soft, and even if those were insane, reasons to kiss her, in this moment they seemed like reason enough.

She pulled back first but she still had her hand on my shirt, we both avoided eye contact because we both felt wrong. "God you're such a sucker for a stupid kiss." Santana said falling backwards on my bed and cracking up.

"You're a bitch." I said.

"You're the one looking to get up on this." Santana said staring up at my ceiling. "It's not like I blame you."

"You're flattering yourself." I said putting out the joint on the bottom of my shoe and using my hand to fan away some of the thick smoke.

"I was just kidding Char, Jesus." Santana said furrowing her eyebrows. "Look you know I make jokes or get angry when I'm high."

"I know that."

"Okay but…you're gonna be cool right? With Quinn, I mean. She shouldn't have to worry about you I can handle that from now on. I know you don't want to tell me about it, but you will." Santana said sounding very sure of herself. It was easy to sound that certain when you were high; I learned that a while ago. "Just don't be an idiot and push everyone who loves you away, but grateful that you have people who love you."

…

Santana's POV

I'd been watching Rachel for the past five minutes. She hadn't noticed which was damn obvious when she started quietly singing _Born to Run_ as she pulled the sheets off the empty bed. It was hard not to laugh, I mean she was cleaning some gross hospital room and she thought a little Bruce Springsteen was going to help her though this? Beyond charming.

I walked into the room quietly or quietly enough that Rachel didn't even turn when I sat down in the chair by the bed.

"God you're so vulnerable." Rachel jumped, nearly out of her shoes when I said that. I laughed as she glared my way.

"It's rude of you to just walk in here without saying anything. You should've knocked or something." Rachel said acting as if she was actually mad at me. The smile didn't leave my face and eventually Rachel smiled too.

"I wasn't trying to scare you." I assured her. "I just didn't want to interrupt your impromptu performance."

"Okay now I'm just embarrassed." Rachel said as she began changing the sheets.

"Don't be." I reached down and retied my shoes as I thought for a moment about what to say to her. I thought back to yesterday. The looks I'd given her before I left with Quinn. She returned them as if they meant more than they should, maybe they did, but I just didn't know it yet. "I hope your dad got you in time. I mean when you were waiting with Britt. Did she talk a lot about ducks?" I asked with a light smile.

"No she talked a lot about you." I gave her a questioning look. "To be fair I sort of steered the conversation in that direction-."

"What'd she say?"

"Don't act so aggressive Santana. What could Brittany ever say to hurt anyone, especially you?" I looked away knowing how much Brittany cared for me. "She warned me not care about you."

"See my girl's a genius." I said.

"Doesn't mean I'm going to listen to her I'm very strong willed, you know?" I rolled my eyes at Rachel because she didn't know what was good for her.

"You have no idea what you're getting yourself into." I informed her.

"Why? Is it because I'm not one of the popular girls? Because I don't smoke or drink or go to stupid parties? Is it because I was invisible to you up until three weeks ago?"

"No! It's because you wear fucking argyle sweaters, because you spend your afternoons in the auditorium doing homework because it's some crazy metaphor for the world. It's because you stood up for yourself in history class when you should've been afraid of what everyone would think of you. It's because you're unafraid and you're fucking sheltered." I didn't know why I was yelling. I hated the look on Rachel's face. I'd seen her look at me that way before, she was scared but she was never going to back down.

"You said I'm sheltered?" She asked quietly.

"Yes, Jesus do you need me to write it down?" I snapped bitterly.

"So…unshelter me." I quickly looked away, afraid that my eyes would tell her something different from all this anger that was pouring out of me. Why couldn't she just see me like she had before? A stupid bitch who was popular. The worst kind of person. Why did everything suddenly have to change?

"I'd never do that-."

"Why not? I mean what do you have to be afraid of? What could be so wrong in this world that you can't open me up to some of it. Why are you so scared of showing me one part of your life? What's so scary Santana? Tell me, what is so scary?"

"You don't get to play therapist okay, just don't do that to me." I stood up and stared her down waiting for her to break. God, why was she so strong willed? "And if you want an answer, you wanna know what I have to be afraid of? Everything, my world's different from yours okay…I get to be afraid of absolutely everything."

**Review Please.**


	9. Bad Reputation

Santana's POV

"Do you think that harlot Rose Whitmore is pretty?" Quinn asked as she was applying makeup in front of the mirror in her locker. I looked back over my shoulder at Rose Whitmore, who was a redhead with this very distinct beauty mark just under her left eye. Sure, she was pretty; everyone knew that, but not as pretty as Quinn was.

"Harlot? Are we back in the fucking middle ages?" I said playfully nudging Quinn. "What's wrong? Rosy been bothering you?" I questioned wondering if I was about to have to kick someone's ass. Quinn knew I had her back and if she had a problem with anyone, they'd been in a world of trouble.

"No I just hate how she walks down the hallway like she'd the shit. That job belongs to me." Quinn said as she applied eyeliner. "Did you hear about B?" Quinn asked.

"What happened?" Brittany told me everything, which is why I never had to hear from anyone else _about B_.

"She bombed her math test. I'm surprised she didn't go to you for help, I guess she just didn't want to bother you. What'd she call you the other day…" Quinn pondered for a second before snapping her eyeliner cap over the pencil shut and slamming her locker door. "Oh right! Busy bumble bee."

"What the fuck? Brittany knows I'll always be there to help her out." I said following Quinn down the hallway.

"She knows that, but maybe she just wants to try and do something on her own. I mean you don't have to babysit her all the time." What Quinn said stung, but maybe I needed to hear it. I had sort of been overbearing with Brittany most of the time, but I just wanted to make sure she was safe. "Um…are you following me or what? I thought you had AP Environmental Science."

"No I've got a free period." I informed Quinn. "Enjoy French class Fabray." Quinn flicked me off under her binder and I walked back down the hallway. I didn't know if I should go to the library or not. I could study, but for what? I knew my subjects; I just couldn't get my grades any higher.

I could smoke.

Jesus, I was full of bad ideas lately. Probably the worst was going over to talk to Charlie last night. Something was clearly up with her, but I made the stupid mistake of suggesting weed to fix things. Me + Charlie+ Weed = big mistake. I dunno, I guess I felt like we couldn't even have a real conversation anymore. I felt that way with Quinn for a while when she was with Puck too, but this time with Charlie it's different.

Maybe it was because I didn't know all the facts.

Actually, I didn't know any of the facts. Charlie was acting weird. That's all Quinn left me with, and I couldn't do much with that. Well shit Quinn, how was that information supposed to help anyone? Sometimes I wished those twins would just talk to their father or something he's supposed to be there for guidance.

Sometimes I think I just need to take a step back.

A giant step back actually. I mean I loved the Fabray twins, and I'd known them for my entire life. Well okay, that was a lie we always told people. Actually, I met Quinn in 5th grade at this weird carnival games thing. And she wasn't even Quinn back then, she was Lucy.

Charlie was a different story though. Charlie was the reason I broke my wrist jumping out the back of a truck at the supermarket. The thing with Quinn was, you always knew what you were going to get. Charlie was always a mystery.

"Santana!" I turned around and spotted a very annoyed and slightly adorable looking Rachel standing behind me with her arms crossed. I guess I didn't realize I'd been walking towards the bleachers until now, because I looked down at my feet and then back up at Rachel. "Do you have a hearing problem?"

"A-a what?" I questioned.

"I've been calling your name since you turned down the main hallway." By the looks of where I was standing in the middle of the parking lot, that was probably about three minutes ago.

"Oh…well sorry." I turned on my heels and continued walking towards the bleachers. Rachel followed and I rolled my eyes. "Is there something you need?" I questioned as I reached into my pocket and pulled out a pack of smokes.

"Well then I'm sorry for bothering you." Rachel said clearly put off by my attitude. She was prepared to turn on her heels and walk away when I cleared my throat.

"Don't be so dramatic, I'm not upset with you, I'm just in my own head. And don't even think about asking me what it's all about because I don't really want to talk about it." Rachel nodded in understanding in it looked like that would be the end of that conversation.

"What time does your cheer practice end?" Rachel asked suddenly. I gave her a questioning look, but she just stood there waiting for my response.

"6 but like hell you're gonna join. Maybe I'll just save you the trouble and-."

"I don't want to join, but I don't have a ride home. I was wondering if you'd take me." I looked at Rachel and then smiled; she was really being this innocent and charming right now, wasn't she? "Okay I can see it in your eyes; you're a little freaked out. I wouldn't want you to get home late or anything though. I just thought since you left and we sort of live in the same direction-."

"Rachel I'll take you, and besides it's not like I'm going home anyway." I grabbed a bucket that was occasionally used by the football players for icing their feet and I flipped it over so I could sit down.

"Yeah Brittany mentioned that you don't really stay at your own house much." Rachel said. I was waiting for the intrusive question but it never came. Rachel was giving me space. "She's very observant. Tactful with her words actually."

"Please stop talking about Brittany like she's a science project." I deadpanned.

"You know I didn't mean it like that, it's just…"

"She's not a royal bitch like Quinn." I finished for her.

"Your words not mine." She said with a smile. "Brittany was right about you being sweet though."

"What are you talking about? I've been a bitch to you as many times as I've been nice." I said pulling a cigarette out of my pack. I put it in my mouth but I didn't light it.

"No you've never been mean, you've just been guarded, and there's a difference." Rachel informed me. "Are you going to smoke that?" She questioned looking down at the cigarette that I was moving around between my teeth.

"Maybe…but you don't want me too?"

"You don't have to listen to me." She said biting back a blush. I played with a lighter for a second before I pulled the cigarette out of my mouth and returned it to the pack. "Like a caterpillar." I quirked an eyebrow. "I meant that you're changing right in front of my eyes."

"I'm not changing I'm just trying not to be terrible to you. I mean I can deal with a lot but not uncomfortable car rides." I explained. It was actually the truth. On more than one occasion, I've had to spend hours in the car with a moody Quinn Fabray and that was never something I'd enjoy reliving. It was kind of stupid for me to think about that considering Rachel was the total opposite of Quinn.

"Do you mind if we stop at the _Lima Bean_?" Rachel asked.

"You mean that hipster hangout? I hear their coffee is cheap so I'm all in." I said.

"My friend actually works there." I don't know why I looked so dumbfounded. I mean that of course, Rachel had friends; I guess I just never thought about it. I mean let's face it, here at school, I hadn't seen her talk to anyone but me. "He used to go here actually."

"Did he like get kicked out or something? Do you have creepy goth friends, cause I'm not really into that." It all came out, as a joke, but Rachel looked a little bothered by the whole thing. I stood up and pushed my hands deep into my pockets.

"Do you remember a boy named Kurt Hummel?" Did I remember? Was this a joke? That was like asking me if I remembered how to spell my name. Kurt Hummel was the fashionable gay that was screwed over by all of Lima, Ohio. Somebody pushed him to his limits, someone like Dave, that big burly asshole. I didn't know it was that bad until Principal Figgins made this whole big deal about bullying.

"Yeah I know him." I said looking over at Rachel, wondering if she was okay. "You know if people were brave like him-."

"Don't." Rachel said stopping me instantly. "You don't know him so please don't talk about him."

"Okay, you're right." I said holding up my arms defensively before they weakly dropped to my sides. "You've got a lot more bite than I thought."

"It because I have to defend myself a lot. It certainly builds character." Rachel said.

"Skip the auditorium today and come watch our practice. Sue will show you how to build real character."

…

Rachel's POV

Three cheerleaders. That was the count right? Unless I'd missed one as I was watching them run. I'd seen three cheerleaders go down, and not one person stopped to help them to their feet. Santana wasn't kidding when she said these practices were insane.

They were on their 12th lap, and these weren't light jogs, they were full on sprints. Quinn and Santana were up front, which I expected because they were the captains, but I could see Santana pulling away from the pack. Her legs moved so gracefully that it was almost mesmerizing. I would've gotten lost in watching her if I didn't see another Cheerio fall down. This time it was different, this time it was Brittany.

Immediately Santana stopped and rushed back to help Brittany up. It was a big mistake. I didn't have to hear what Sue was saying to Santana to know that she was yelling and that she was beyond angry. The other girls went over to do a cool down run and post practice stretch, but Santana was still standing in front of Sue.

Why was it such a big deal that Santana was helping Brittany? I knew Coach Sue was evil, but I never expected her to be this cruel. I watched as the girls ran right past me and back towards the main building to retrieve their belongings from the locker room. Quinn said something to a worried Brittany and practically forced Brittany to go inside.

Quinn crossed her arms over her chest as she watched Santana fall to her knees and start doing push ups. Quinn looked up at me waiting in the bleachers and she eyed me curiously. After Santana's 40th push-up, Quinn walked up the bleachers and right towards me. "What do you think you're doing? I mean I know you're stalking my friend, but do you mind backing off?"

"I'm not trying to cause trouble, Santana's taking me home…but I do think it would be more beneficial if you took your anger out on that Coach of yours." Quinn looked back towards the field at Sue continues to scream at Santana. She must be on her 60th push up by now. Quinn crossed her arms over her chest and glares just glares as Santana continues.

"She's faltering. I don't know why, she's better than this-."

"She's being pushed to her limits." I interjected. "That was one hard practice and I'm sure she's tired."

"Okay dork what is it gonna take for you to stay away from Santana? I'll match you up with Finn Hudson…I've got a secret stash. 347 dollars, you can't turn that down." I can't believe that she was offering me money right now. She clearly didn't think very highly of me, which I guess I knew before, so really nothing had changed.

"I don't want your money or your ridiculous offers to set me up. I'm content right now." Quinn was now standing in front of me so I couldn't see Santana. I huffed and stood up, realizing by my short stature that it actually might have been more intimidating if I'd just stayed seated. "I think your Coach has had enough torturing for today." I said as Sue stormed past the bleachers and headed back towards the building. I scanned the field for Santana, but I didn't see her.

I guess I should have looked further down. I spotted Santana lying flat on her back staring up at the sky. Quinn and I exchanged glances before running over to Santana. Quinn kneeled down in front of her and reached out her hands for Santana to take, she didn't. It seemed as if Santana was going to lay there for a while.

"I'm pretty sure I'm dead." Santana said breathing in deeply and exhaling with her eyes closed.

"Stop being a little bitch and get up." Quinn said in a patronizing tone. I glared at Quinn for being so insensitive, it wasn't until I saw a smile creep on Santana's face that I realized it was just playful banter.

"Fuck off Fabray." Santana said lifting her head up and shielding her eyes from the sun. "Sorry Rach…just give me a second and then we can go to the _Lima Bean_." Quinn reached her arms out and Santana latched on pulling herself up to her feet.

"You going to shower?" Quinn asked.

"What and miss getting my shower on with the hottie of the year Quinn Fabray?" Santana said jokingly. "I'm showering when I get to Britt's later." Santana explained. "Hope you don't mind Rachel, I'll keep the windows down. Just hold on a sec." I watched in amazement as Santana ran over to the bottom of the bleachers and pulled her bag over her shoulder. I watched her disappear under the bleachers and reemerge 30 seconds later wearing sweatpants and a fitted t-shirt. "Okay bye-bye birdie and let's go Rach." Quinn glared a hole through my skull before she walked away and headed towards the main building while I followed Santana to her car.

"How are you still functioning?" I questioned as I got into the passenger's side of Santana's car.

"Steroids." Santana said with a serious expression. I kept my eyes on her even when she was backing up waiting for her to crack a smile, but she didn't. "It was a joke, Jesus."

"I can be gullible, or so my father says."

"So what'd you think of the practice? Character building right?" Santana asked smiling even though I catch her muscles twitch at least twice since we'd been in the car.

"It's practically murder." I responded as we pulled into the _Lima Bean _parking lot. Santana got out of the car first and I followed. I think she'd been here more times than she was letting on because she walked right in and straight to the counter like it was nothing.

And it was nothing until I spotted Kurt behind the counter and he spotted me. Then he spotted Santana with me. "Lovely seeing you two here…together." Kurt said directly to me.

"Kurt be nice." I warned him. "So tell me how Dalton has been so far."

"You go to Dalton? Like the preppy, all boys place? That's pretty nice." Santana said genuinely.

"We'll have a girl's night in okay? But now you've got to order or my boss will scrutinize me for socializing." Kurt said quietly. Santana glared another employee down while I ordered and paid for the both of us. Even though I needed a quick caffeinated pick-me-up, I got Santana a smoothie, so that she could get something sweet into her system. I waved goodbye to Kurt as we walked out to Santana's car. We didn't get in, actually Santana opened up her trunk, so that it would be used as a makeshift seat and we both sat down and enjoyed our drinks.

"Oh god sugar, how I've missed you." Santana said as she contently slurped down her smoothie. She had her eyes closed and she seemed to be leaning further and further back.

"You seem pretty happy over there."

"Strawberry is my kryptonite." Santana replied. It was hard not to open up my mouth and mention that I was wearing strawberry lip-gloss right now.

"Was that just a superman reference? Closeted geek." I murmured.

"You caught me." Santana said with a grin. There was a long silence between us. It wasn't awkward, actually it wasn't anything. Santana finished her smoothie and I was about halfway through with my coffee. "I think…I think I should've noticed you before. Maybe things would have been different."

"Are you about to have a life chat?"

"Jesus just when I was about to open up to you, you go and ruin the moment." I closed my mouth and urged her to continue. "I mean check out your friend Kurt in there, he looked like he was out to get me and I've never even talked to him. I've got a bad reputation and there's nothing I can do about it."

…

Quinn's POV

"Where are ya goin?" Charlie said in between bites of a cinnamon roll. I gave her a sideways glance before pulling up the straps of my dress and trying to reach back to zip it up.

"A little help here?" Charlie stuffed the rest of the sugary treat in her mouth and proceeded to lick every single one of her fingers before she started walking over towards me. "Never mind!" I said successfully stopping her from touching my perfectly ironed and cleaned dress. "And what do you mean by that? It's a Sunday morning Charlie, where do you think we're going? To a rodeo?" I said sarcastically.

"You could be going to the zoo for all I care." Charlie said stubbornly walking over to my desk and plopping down on the chair.

"If you didn't care then why did you ask?" I said giving her a smug smile. "I guess it doesn't matter anyway. What matters is that this is the third week that you're missing church. We can't keep lying and saying that you've got the flu or that you're visiting aunt Helen in Utah. Francesca Bellman goes to your school, and although it is a rare occasion that you show up there…she'll know that we're lying."

"Fine well then don't lie for me." Charlie said as if it were as simple as that.

"And say what when people as where the pink haired one is?" I questioned as I sat down on my bed across from Charlie and slipped on my heels.

"How about the truth? Tell them I'm not there because I don't like church and I don't believe in God." I was about to laugh. Seriously, of all the jokes that Charlie had played this was probably the funniest. At least it was funny until I saw Charlie's eyes. She was dead serious.

I jumped up and rushed over to slam my door shut. I turned and faced Charlie was had this worried expression on her face, but she didn't say anything. "Are you an idiot? What the hell do you think you're blubbering on about you psycho freak?"

"Quinn, calm down…I don't get why you're even mad-."

"I'm mad because you're acting insane. In what world does the pastor's daughter not believe in God? In no world that's where." Charlie just shrugged and I stomped over and yanked her up to her feet. "What's gotten into you? Trying to see how far you can push dad again?"

"You wish that was what this was about. Look, respect my wishes and let it go. You're the one who always hated when we were so much alike. Welp, now we can be total opposites, you win." Charlie is set to leave my room, when I reach out and grab her.

"Wait, this isn't a game Charlie. I don't want to win anything…just help me understand. You can't just wake up one day and stop believing in God." Charlie shook her head and pulled her arm out of my grips.

"Quinn I used to call you Lucy Q-."

"We're not taking a trip down memory lane right now Char. I don't need a friendly reminder of when I used to be fat, okay?" Charlie rolled her eyes and ran a hand though her hair.

"My _point_ is…people grow up and people change." I turned away from her trying to think of a way to knock some sense into her. Didn't she realize that she had been acting strange for the past month? She's been more rebellious than usual and don't get me started on that blood incident.

"You think you can live your life without God? Especially after you come home covered in someone else's blood. You've got to go to someone for repentance." The guilt card wasn't very kind of me, but that didn't mean it wouldn't work.

"Wait…you don't think I killed someone do you?" The room fell silent again. Sure I don't think Charlie would ever kill someone, intentionally that is, but if she was drunk or high…who knows?

"You came home with blood on your hands Charlie; you broke down…if you hear hoof beats don't look for a zebra." Charlie looked down at her hands.

"I didn't kill anyone and fuck you for thinking that." Charlie said coldly. "Enjoy church…try praying to your stupid God and see how that works for you."

…

Santana's POV

"Why have you been hanging out with Rachel lately?" Brittany asked as she continued to comb my hair. "Is it because you're mad at Q and me?" Brittany was crazy to think that I could ever be mad at her.

"No Britt that's not the reason." I said placing both my hands on Brittany's knees. I was seated in between Brittany's legs because she was so persistent about combing my hair I just couldn't say no. "I just think she's a nice person."

"So if you want to be around nice people and stuff, why do you go and smoke with Charlie?" I knew I couldn't get anything past Brittany. She must have heard us go outside to Charlie's car last week and saw us smoking.

"I just need to escape sometimes." I told Brittany honestly.

"Like Narnia." Brittany said as if it was so simple. "Did I tell you about Mike Rowland?"

"No…"

"He wants to take me to a party at Pucks this weekend. I'll bet Q's going to so we can all go!" Brittany said placing the comb down on her nightstand and wrapping her arms around me.

"Mike Rowland is a jerk. He just wants to sleep with you." I explained to Britt. "You don't want a guy like that anyway. I mean come on you're so pretty, there are plenty of other nice guys out there for you."

"You think I'm pretty San?" Brittany asked before she lifted me up and cuddled up next to me on the bed.

"I've told you that before Britt." I said before kissing her forehead.

"Why did you stop running and help me today? You're not supposed to stop remember? That's what Sue always says. And then you had to work extra hard after, I feel bad." Brittany pouting always broke my heart. "You don't have to always stand up for me and protect me."

"Is that why you failed your math test and didn't even ask for my help?" I questioned looking directly into her eyes.

"I just wanted to prove that I could do it on my own. I wanted you to be proud of me." Brittany said frowning.

"I am proud of you." I said kissing her again, but this time on the cheek. "Now let's go to bed."

***It would be super awesome if I got some reviews on this chapter, thanks guys.**


	10. Total Troublemaker

Quinn's POV

"Are you even listening to me? Seriously San I told you this was important!" I was so ready to punch Santana in the face if I had to. This was so like her, she made a huge deal earlier about her always being there for me, but right now she was completely distracted. I was driving us to school this morning. Santana's car was in the shop and she told me she didn't want to ask her father to burrow one of the other cars.

Santana doesn't ask for anything from her parents. She's too dependent to be a 16 year old girl. I didn't have to ask her if she'd fought with her parents, she always acted like this when she was pissed at them.

"Yeah, yeah…some shit about Charlie not believing in God…big whoop." Santana said shrugging and rolling down the window. I seriously debated pulling the car over and having a throw down with Santana right now. Didn't she understand how serious this was?

"Big whoop? God I could just punch you right now." I gripped the steering wheel so tight that my knuckles practically burned white. Every time I tried to calm myself down, I just freaked out even more. "Christ! You don't think this is a big deal? Charlie doesn't believe in God, San…don't tell me you've gone all atheist on me." There was a long pause and I looked over at her, waiting for her response.

"Starting to question a lot lately." She said in that annoyingly cryptic way that she's been responding to everything lately.

"I swear…don't tell me something crazy like that. Why are you and Charlie acting like a bunch of nutcases? Seriously, I don't know if I can trust either one of you anymore." I was serious and Santana knew it. She shifted in her seat for a moment and seriously I was about to puke my guts out because I felt like I was losing everything I had in my life. This wasn't even fair, what did I do to deserve this? "You've both gone rogue." I said as I pulled into my normal parking space.

"We haven't…well Charlie has, but I'm still the same-."

"Bullshit." I said putting the car in park. Santana reached in the backseat and grabbed her backpack with her left hand. She just looked at me shaking her head and laughing like I was the crazy one here. "What is your deal?" I questioned furrowing her eyebrows.

"For a sweet Christian girl you sure curse a lot…not to mention your little one night stand with Puck." That stung and Santana knew it. She held her backpack close to her body and fumbled with the zipper without even looking over at me. "Sorry that was low."

"It was." I replied all too quickly. "So what should I do? About Charlie I mean."

"Quinn…" Santana started. Her voice was raspy and bothered and I could tell that she was trying to hold back. "Why are you trying to control Charlie?" I took the keys out of the ignition and glanced over at Santana.

"I'm not." I said opening my door like I was going to get out, but I closed it only a few seconds later. "Why do you think that?"

"It's nothing." She said looking out the window again. "Are we gonna sit here until the grass grows or what?"

"I never said you had to stay here, I wouldn't want you to think that I was trying to _control_ you." I pushed open my door and got out. I slammed it shut harder than necessary before storming off and rushing into school. I know I was being harsh with Santana, but it wasn't right of her to just ignore the seriousness of the situation with Charlie.

You don't just wake up one day and stop believing in God. No one has ever had a spontaneous anti-revelation. Or maybe they have, what do I know?

"Thinking about something?" I whipped my head around and spotted Puck standing there with one hand on the locker next to mine and the other in his pocket. "What? Are we not allowed to talk too?" I rolled my eyes but a smile formed on my lips without me even knowing it.

"I just had a little thing with Santana." I explained to him. "It's no big deal, but I should probably apologize." I added. Puck nodded and reached into my locker for my Spanish textbook.

"Come on I'll walk you to class." Puck slipped my backpack over his shoulders and carried my book in his hand. Since when did he become this sweet? God it was killing me the way he was looking over at me tentatively. "If you want me to, I can talk to Santana."

"No, that'll probably make things worse." I said nudging him. "Didn't your mom ever teach you to never meddle in girl's business?" I asked playfully.

"Yeah but…she never warned me about girls I actually cared about." I looked away from him blushing. "Don't take it the wrong way Quinn, I'm not trying anything…but I have to be honest with you. That's what friends do right?" I took my backpack and book from him shaking my head because he was charming the hell out of me.

"Yeah I think you caught onto that very quickly. You'll make an amazing friend with enough practice." I assured him. He smiled and looked behind me and into the classroom. It was almost time for class and Puck was clearly going to skip, but I had to go. I didn't really want to go.

"Thank you, I'll keep practicing." Puck reached out and held my hand for a second before letting go and smiling. "Catch you later." He walked away and I walked inside. This was a lot harder than I thought. I sat down in the first seat I saw and it wasn't long before Brittany skipped in, happily, and sat down next to me.

"Hi Britt." I said greeting the girl. For the first time in my life I think I was seeing Brittany looking preoccupied. "What's wrong B?"

"I haven't seen San yet. She always carries my books to my first class." Brittany said pouting. I looked around the classroom as if that would help. Santana wasn't even in regular Spanish, she was in AP. With her insane schedule I figured she'd double up on languages like I had, with French and Spanish, but she said that would just be too much. "I thought you took her to school today?"

"I did, she's here…" I raised my hand and Mr. Shuester called on me. "Can I go to the bathroom?" I barely waited for him to respond before I was rushing out to the hallway and running upstairs. Santana was supposed to be in English right now, and Ms. Peters' room was just to the left.

I peeked in to see if I could spot Santana. She was seated in the front row and it looked like she was about to fall asleep. Luckily, for me she lazily glanced over and caught my eyes. Moments later, she was standing out in the hallway in front of me, with her arms crossed over her chest. "What are you doing? I thought you had Spanish with Brit."

"I do have Spanish with Britt; I just thought you bailed on school or something." Santana furrowed her eyebrows and dropped her arms to her sides.

"Why on earth would you think that?" She asked.

"Britt thought you did cause you didn't take her stuff to Spanish class. I know you do that every single day, so where were you?" I wasn't in the mood to back down from Santana and she wasn't in the mood to argue.

"I was in Sue's office; she's putting me at the bottom of the pyramid." Santana explained.

"That's screwed up and you know it. Why? What gives her the right to do something like that?" Santana just rolled her eyes at my frustration. "Am I supposed to be mad enough for the both of us?"

"You don't have to be mad at all Quinn. It's fine." Santana said trying to force a smile. "I'll walk you both to your next class."

"Thanks." I said nudging Santana. "Be good, don't get into any trouble."

"You know me, I'm a total troublemaker." Santana said with a smirk. She patted me on the shoulder and laughed. "I'll see you later bum."

…

Charlie's POV

Quinn was completely avoiding me and she couldn't have made it more obvious. I didn't want to push things if I didn't have to, but I did want to talk. I had sort of thrown this whole thing on her without thinking about it. It wasn't the right way to open up about my beliefs but it wasn't totally wrong either.

It was always a clash with us. Quinn got pissed at me because I was an inch taller, I got pissed at her because dad let hr have a TV in her room, and none of that was going to change anytime soon. I wished she understood that just because we were twins, it didn't mean we had to be so similar.

That was why I dyed and cut my hair in the first place. I didn't want to look exactly the same. And I thought she liked that.

As it turns out Quinn wanted a sister just like her so she wouldn't have to deal with issues or worse, change.

"I'm done avoiding you." I said as I opened up Quinn's door and walked inside. She closed her textbook and looked at me.

"Unfortunately for you the feeling is not mutual." Quinn mumbled.

"Oh come on." I said patting Quinn's head. She stood up and pushed me away. "Jeez, calm down I was just messing around."

"What'd you come in here for anyway?" Quinn questioned. "Planning on joining a cult?" I rolled my eyes. Quinn could be so dramatic sometimes. It was insane.

"I figured I owed you an explanation." I laid down flat on Quinn's bed. I sort of hoped that Quinn would say something bitchy again so that I could have a reason to yell at her. "Look…if you think I don't believe in God because I'm trying-."

"-To prove something? Yeah actually, that's what I think and that's what I know. First, you get kicked out of school, then you dye your stupid hair, and now you're a devil worshiper." Quinn said. She was rushing her words and she was so flustered that I didn't even want to talk to her anymore.

"Is that what you think of me?" I asked waiting for an honest answer.

"No." Quinn replied as she stood up and practically threw her body on the bed next to me. She was lying face down on her bed while I was staring up at the ceiling. "I just wanna know why everything can't just stay the same."

"Cause we're growing up." I told her. She sighed loudly and lifted her head up. "Remember when you punched Betsy Walters in the face in the basement of the church and I promised not to tell?"

"I don't really see where this is going, but yeah I do remember that. Betsy deserved that by the way."

"My point is you didn't get in trouble because I had your back. You trusted me back then and you should trust me now. I'm still your big sis and I love you, I hope that never changes." Quinn looked over at me and smiled. God did I hate having heart to hearts, but I did love the look on Quinn's face when she realizes us fighting goes absolutely nowhere.

"Fine I trust you." Quinn said as she pulled a bobby pin out of my hair. "But in case you were wondering, the next time you call yourself _big sis_ I'm gonna take this pin and stab you in the eye."

"I'll be sure to watch my mouth." I said grinning. I heard the doorbell ring and I looked over at Quinn with a questioning stare. "Is San coming over?"

"San and Britt." Quinn responded. "They know where the key is they'll just open it up." I heard the front door open and the shuffling of feet let me know that Brittany was excited to be here and Santana was less than enthusiastic. I don't know why Santana and Brittany were over here on a Thursday night, but I didn't question it.

"Sup Brittany, hi San." I said still refusing to move even though Quinn jumped up and grabbed the girl's things. "Mom and dad aren't home right now, can we order in?" I asked Quinn giving her my best pleading face. Quinn rolled her eyes and tossed Brittany's duffle bag at me.

"Yeah what about some pizza?" Santana asked as she yanked me off Quinn's bed. "And by that I mean Quinn's paying."

"Why do I have to pay?" Quinn asked Santana. I sensed an argument of wit and power between Santana and Quinn coming on so I turned my attention to Brittany. She was staring at my hair, which she did a lot more than I liked.

"You want a snack Brittany?" I asked.

"Sure Charlie." She had this innocent quality about her that was rare to find in anyone. I always thought it was kind of strange actually. I mean she did spend time with Santana and Quinn a lot, and it's not like they were saints. I wonder why she never picked up on their sarcasm or actions, maybe she was just so content with being herself, that she didn't ever want to become someone else.

That must be the life.

Brittany took my hand as we went down to the kitchen. Even as I was reaching in the top cupboard for chips, she still didn't let go. "You want something else? If Quinn and San don't decide on something soon I'll be ready to eat a friggin cow."

"A cow! Do you guys own a cow?" Brittany asked seriously.

"No it's just an expression Britt." I explained to her. "So how was school today?"

"It was good up until practice. Sue was so mean to Santana. I hate Sue." I looked at Brittany with an expression of confusion. I've never heard Brittany say she hated anyone.

"You _hate_ her?"

"I don't want anyone acting that way. Especially if they're hurting Santana." Brittany S. Pierce. I remember the exact moment when we met. I was 10 years old and I'd just gotten a new bike. Quinn said that we should get matching scooters but I convinced my dad that a bike is what normal kids got. Santana was the one who taught me how to ride actually. She said that if I learned then she could jump on the back of the bike and I could take her everywhere.

That's all beside the point I guess.

One day I was riding my bike through the park. It was cold, but I just wanted to see how fast I could go without having to dodge other kids in the street. It didn't matter at that point because halfway through the park, I clipped some kid and she fell to the ground. I skidded to a stop and rushed over to help her up, but I was pushed away. When I finally looked up I was met by the angry gaze of Santana. She saw me, she defiantly knew it was me, and she punched the fuck out of me.

As it turns out the girl I knocked over was Brittany.

I didn't find out until 8th grade that Santana had hid her friendship with Brittany from Quinn and I because she thought we'd make fun of her. That's when I realized how close Brittany and Santana really were.

"Hey, what are you two doing down here?" I turned around and Santana was standing there with her cell phone in her left hand. I didn't notice until now that Brittany was still holding my hand and that I was flushed from worry and confusion mostly. "We're getting Chinese food just in case you guys were wondering. Britt I think you got a text from your mom, you should go check your phone."

Brittany let go of my hand and rushed back upstairs. "What are you doing?" Santana snapped walking over and snatching the chip bag out of my hands. "Were you bothering Britt?"

"Jeez San you know I would never bother Britt."

"Okay I'm just making sure. You know how I'm-." Santana looked away for a moment as she tried to fight back tears.

"You just love her, it's okay." I said. "Come on…let's go back upstairs."

…...

Rachel's POV

To be fair this was all in self-defense. Actually, I'm being more than fair. Those jocks attacked me, insulted me, and tried to slushy me. Sue me for wanting to keep red food coloring out of the new sweater my fathers had just bought me.

That's why I was sitting here in detention with my math book out and my mind racing through my entire day. If I knew, I was going to get in trouble for this then I would've kicked a little harder.

Forty-five more minutes. At this point and with the way Brett was stinking up the room I was so ready to let someone punch me in the face for punishment. "You're late." I looked up at Mr. Roberts to see who he was talking too. It was almost surreal to see Santana standing there.

She wasn't a troublemaker, not really at least, but she did ignore Mr. Roberts and walk right towards me and sit down in the desk to my right. "We've got to stop meeting like this." She said with a small smirk.

"What are you in for?" I questioned.

"Sue's still pissy about me helping Britt. So I get detention and a solo practice at five in the morning tomorrow." I looked into her eyes and shook my head.

"She ought to be fired." I said watching as her eyes lit up at the thought. "You look really excited about the thought."

"I am." She said showing off a cute half-smile. "Wait what did you do to get here? I thought you were a goody-two-shoes." I bit my bottom lip and laughed a little to myself. I don't know if she'd be impressed or not by my actions but it was worth a shot.

"I may or may not have kicked a boy where the sun does not shine." Santana's eyes widened and a grin spread across her face.

"You're a secret badass." Santana said chuckling. Suddenly her hand was on my thigh as she was laughing and I was trying not to blush. Her hand was softer than I expected and when she moved it slightly, with the gentlest squeeze, I looked down at it. "Oh…sorry." She pulled her hand away and leaned back into her seat. "You think we can sneak out of here?"

"_We_? I'm wearing a sweater with llama on it and you're wearing your Cheerios uniform, there's no way we could ever be stealthy about anything." I assured Santana. This was the first time that I noticed how Santana's eyes lit up and darkened with her emotions. It was almost beautiful in of itself.

"If it's any consolation I adore the llama." Santana said before looking up at the clock in the room.

"I'm not going to make it through this. It was embarrassing enough telling my fathers about this. Why can't the clock move any faster?" I questioned absentmindedly.

"No, don't say that. Time is actually one of the most beautiful things in the world." I gave her a questioning look.

"Really it is? Right now it's not actually looking that way."

"Do I have to explain it?" I nodded before Santana could roll her eyes. "Time is the one thing no one can control. We can try to change ourselves, we can kick bullies…but we can't control time." She was beautiful, but she also had a beautiful mind.

"You should write a book." I told her playfully. "Five minutes until we can run for the hills. Did you drive today?"

"Uh…no, I'd call my parents but…that would not go well." She said reaching down and grabbing her backpack.

"Well my dad will take us both…problem solved." Santana looked uneasy for a moment, possibly at the prospect of meeting my dad, but she shouldn't have been nervous. I was the one who was slightly freaking out. Santana was popular, beautiful, and so smart, and I was just a loser. I'd been over it a million times but it never got any easier.

So I was trying to force her into my life, the smile she was giving me right now, let me know that it was all worth it.

…

Santana's POV

"So your dad is a doctor too? I wonder if he knows my dad." I thought about that for a moment. I did go to a lot of business dinners, receptions, awards banquets, the whole nine really, but I don't ever remember seeing Rachel there. Then again, I had to act like a rigid freak when I was at those ceremonies so I probably was too busy faking a smile.

"Yes he works a lot in the ER though, it's all too morbid to understand how someone could make a career out of it. I get weak in the knees at the sight of blood." Rachel explained. I heard two honks of a weak sounding horn and I turned and saw a black Toyota Rav 4 pulling up in front of us. The windows weren't tinted, but I could see clear enough inside to know if it was Rachel's dad.

How would I know anyway? I mean, was Rachel adopted? Did they have a surrogate? These were all questions that I planned on asking never, because it was none of my business.

Rachel led the way into the car, pausing for a second to grab my backpack and help me in. We were seated in the back, side by side even though Rachel could scoot over and be further away. "Dad, this is Santana Lopez and Santana this is my father." The man seated in front of me turned around and shook my hand. He had a firm handshake and a welcoming smile.

"Hi Dr. Berry." I said pleasantly.

"What'd she just call me? Dr. Berry? All that Dr. and Mr. stuff always makes me feel old. How about calling me Leroy?" I looked over at Rachel who was giving me an encouraging smile.

"I-um…I can't really do that." I said.

"Well maybe you will in the future. Wait a moment…Lopez? Any relation to Dr. Eduardo Lopez?" I nodded until I realized he couldn't actually see me.

"Yes that's my father." I said as we pulled into my driveway. I was more than astonished when I noticed that my father was sitting on the front porch watching as the car pulled in. What was he doing here? He usually wasn't back until after 8 on Tuesday.

"Here we are." Dr. Berry exclaimed. "Oh let me go have a quick chat with your father." I wanted to screw 'No!' at the top of my lungs. To warn Dr. Berry that my father looked angry and the last thing he wanted to see were other people at his house. But I was too late Dr. Berry was already out of the car and walking over towards him.

"Jesus Christ." I said as I unbuckled my seat and watched from inside the car.

"What's wrong?" Rachel asked gently touching my arm.

"Um…my dad just looks mad." Rachel looked over at the two conversing me and then back at me. She didn't understand. No one did I guess. I didn't really like my father but he could put on a good show. It was believable, the light chuckle and the pat on the back that he'd just given Dr. Berry, and if I didn't know any better I would say they were friends. The problem was I did know better.

"If by mad you mean happy then yes he looks mad." I smiled because I couldn't explain everything or even anything to Rachel. We both got out of the car, me with my head down and eyes down, Rachel happily walking over to her father's side. "Hi Dr. Lopez, my name is Rachel Berry." I resisted the urge to pull Rachel's hand away when she was shaking my father's hand.

"Nice to meet you Rachel. Under these circumstances I should actually apologize to you." Rachel looked confused and I did too. What was he talking about? "Leroy had told me what a wonderful young girl you are, but I'm sure Santana here has been a bad influence on you. If she was intelligent enough she'd apologize for herself, but she's not." I looked down at the ground, trying to cover up my embarrassment.

"I-…I didn't mean-." I started but my father was quick to cut me off.

"Shut up and go inside." I didn't hesitate, I didn't even look back. I brushed past my father and rushed straight inside. I took off my shoes and put my backpack down at my feet, waiting for my father to come inside.

I didn't have to wait long. I flinched at the sound of the front door slamming shut and watched as my father walked over and stood in front of me. "It wasn't my fault, it was Sue-."

"You've got excuses for everything Santana. That doesn't work in the real world, so shut the hell up." I kept my eyes down, the words on my lips were threatening to come out, but they didn't. "First you get a detention and then you bring some faggot and his daughter over to _my _house? Go upstairs and get changed. Your grandmother is coming over for dinner and well discuss this later." I nodded and ran upstairs. I knew I'd made a mistake when I accepted Rachel's offer. I guess I didn't realize how stupid I was until now.

**Review. Review. Review. Please.**


	11. I'm Better Now

Quinn's POV

"Where the hell is Santana?" I demanded as I cornered the midget freak. She had evaded my attacks for the entire day, but now I was pissed and I deserved some answers. I mean who did she think she was walking around like she was somebody. I held my hand against the wall behind her and to her left there was a garbage can, she had no way out.

"I don't know-."

"Wrong answer freak, you might want to think again before you try lying to me, because frankly I am in no mood to be bothered." I grabbed her backpack out of her hands and tossed it aside. "Now, Brittany told me that you and Santana were in detention together…so as far as I know you were the last person to see her. So how about we try this again, where is she?" She searched my eyes for a moment before settling on her feet.

"I really have no idea. My father and I dropped her off at her house and I haven't seen her in two days." She seemed sincere, but it was too hard to tell. This Rachel girl did seem like the stalker type though, with the way she's been following Santana around like a sick puppy, it was exhausting to watch her.

"Are you sure she's not locked away in your basement? I swear on my great aunt Margret's grave that if I find out that you've done anything to my friend I'll end you. Do you understand?" She nodded her head a little too quickly and I almost laughed at how intimidating I must have seemed right now. "Now scram midget-."

"Quinn, what the hell are you doing?" That dry tone could only belong to Santana. I turned around and there Santana was standing in black skinny jeans, a grey v-neck shirt, and a worn black fedora.

"S-Santana, where have you been? I've called you a million times! Jesus I thought the weirdo here had harvested your organs or something." Santana glanced over at Rachel and then looked back at me.

"I was sick that's why I didn't answer." Santana said looking at the spot where Rachel's backpack had landed. She reached down and grabbed it for Rachel. The girl was so damn enamored with Santana that she was barely even able to mutter out a thank you before Santana turned her attention back to me. "Were you bothering her?" She asked me.

"Actually her mere presence on this planet bothers me, so technically she was bothering me. Wait…why aren't you wearing your Cheerios uniform?" I asked reexamining her clothes. Sue was going to kill her if she saw one of her captains out of uniform.

"Sue-."

"She kicked you off the squad? That ungrateful bitch! I'm gonna go shave her head-." I was in the midst of turning on my heels when Santana reached out and grabbed my wrist.''

"No, I'm still on the squad; she just said that I have to stay out of uniform for a week as a punishment. It's really not that big of a deal." Santana glanced at Rachel again, this time with a more sincere stare. "The big deal is that you're freaking out on Rachel, Jesus Q." I was so happy that Santana was here that I almost didn't notice the cut on her lip. It actually wasn't that noticeable, I only saw it because I was about to laugh at how she was being so defensive and frowning upon my actions.

"Stop acting all holier than thou San, and what the hell happened to your lip?" Rachel took a step forward just as I asked this as if she wanted to know the answer more than I did. I thought about pushing her away, I mean my God, this was really none of her business.

"Ask your sister, that'll be the last time I hang out with her." Frankly I didn't even want to know what kind of trouble Charlie got Santana in that was all them. Right now, I just wanted to walk to class with Santana and make fun of annoying freshmen. The bell rang and Rachel looked like she was about to pee her pants.

"What's wrong with you dweeb?" I asked over my shoulder.

"Would you stop with the name calling Quinnie? I missed a few things while I was absent, but you being a bitch was not one of them." I opened my mouth to protest but Santana wrapped her arm around my waist and ushered me towards my French class. I adored the way Santana held me close as we walked. It was almost protective.

No wait it was protective.

"So did you have the flu or something?" I asked her gently tilting my head onto her shoulder. "Cause if you're still sick you'd better unlatch your body from mine."

"I'm all better, don't worry." Santana said with a weak smile. "Do you want to go out to lunch or something with Britt? I don't know if I'll be able to deal with shitty lunch food today." We stopped right before we reached the door and Santana pulled away.

"Yeah I'll drive. I'll see you after class." She nodded and left me to enter the classroom. It's not like I was excited for French, but it really wasn't that terrible. It was the only class I didn't have with Santana or Brittany, but that was probably the reason I was doing so well in it.

It was about halfway through our lesson on conjugating _vouloir _that I suddenly sat up in my seat. My chair squeaked loudly on the floor and David Monroe, the kid sitting next to me, gave me a questioning stare. I cleared my throat and looked away, I must have looked like a flustered idiot.

Santana told me that that cut on her lip was because she was hanging out with Charlie? Charlie's left for a field trip on Tuesday and she didn't get back until today. So Santana lied.

Santana lied right to my face and this wasn't the first time. She's lied to me a million and one times but all those times it was because she was trying to help me. Back when everyone knew me as Lucy, Santana told me I was beautiful everyday. Back when I was hung up and depressed over Puck, she told me I deserved better. She's lied to protect me, but never to keep me out, or at least I never thought she did.

So was this how things were going to end up? I mean maybe she lied about the whole Cheerios uniform thing too. Maybe she's off the squad, maybe she's done with me, and she's just going to cut me off completely and move on with her life.

Damn I think I've been reading too many sappy novels lately. Obviously, I'm over thinking this which, by the way, isn't my fault. I blame my parents. In my house, if there's an issue, you just don't talk about it. We take sweeping it under the rug to a maximum.

That's why I used to think I could count on Charlie. We'd go up to our attic and find this vent that let us hear what our parents were saying in the kitchen. I remember the last time we did that. It was right after Charlie had gotten kicked out of school. Our parents were arguing about what to do next. My mother was practically silent, but my father…I can still hear his yells ringing in my ears. _How could she be so stupid? She's going straight to hell_. He was more worried about our reputation than what was best for Charlie.

Charlie said she was going to run away but I told her there was no use, they were probably going to send her off to some boarding school in Massachusetts or something. Luckily for Charlie, this was the one time in history that my mom stood up for what she believed in and Charlie got to stay.

She goes to St. Mary's all girls' school and she hates it with a burning passion. I don't blame her though, I wouldn't be able to deal with a bunch of stuck up bitches all the time. Charlie had guts and patience to handle that.

So Charlie was strong and Santana was stubbornly brilliant, where did that leave me? No I wasn't being fair and I know I never really am. I'm leaving out the most important person in my group of friends, and that's Brittany. She's the balance, Charlie and Santana were rebellious but Brittany, she was the key to keeping everyone sane. Even if it was two on two, Brittany and I were outnumbered. We weren't strong enough to stop or control Charlie and Santana.

_Control._ That was my big problem, right? I was just starting to notice it too, but I couldn't help it, it was just part of who I am.

I just wish everything was like it used to be. I wish everything and everyone didn't change, but here I was stuck in this world where I stayed the same and everyone else just couldn't wait to change.

…

Charlie's POV

The worst thing about my school was sitting there and pretending like these people were normal. I hated every one of them, but what I hated even more was that I couldn't just let them know that. I was open-minded, maybe too open minded at times, but when Ruby Goldman had the field hockey team hold her down while they pierced her nose, I just couldn't stand it anymore.

I get it though, it's not like I'm faultless or something, because I know that I was the one who got kicked out of McKinley, but it still didn't mean I should be miserable. Sometimes I sort of wish my dad had just been more of an asshole and shipped me off to boarding school.

At least then I could wear my own clothes if I wanted to. Now I was stuck wearing this stupid red and black skirt with a black sweater with St. Mary's embroidered on it. I felt ridiculous. I guess that was part of the reason why I never let anyone see me wearing this, well anyone outside of this school. I kept a change of clothes in my backpack just in case.

I reached into the front pocket of my backpack and pulled out my cellphone under the table. Damn I need out of this place.

**[To Santana]: I think I just want to quit school**

I don't really know why I texted Santana. I should've just told Wilson to get his ass down here and break me out. Santana would never do something like that, she's a badass, but she's respectable. I guess I just needed someone who understands me. She always has and she always will.

**[From Santana]: Be rational you private school prick. Nobody's quitting shit.**

I smiled as I read the text. I know I could count on Santana to keep it real. She's was a no bullshit kind of girl and that's what I like about her. I've always like that.

**[To Santana]: Have I ever mentioned the uniforms? Kill me now. Meet me in my room after school today.**

I know I probably seemed kind of strange asking it like that and all. I couldn't help it. Sometimes I got nervous when asking favors. Or asking anything in general. Communication has always been something odd with me. I didn't start speaking until I was four actually. That's why Quinn and I were inseparable early on. I needed her by my side to survive basically, so now when I talk to people it still seems strange. Foreign even.

**[From Santana]: Not gonna lie, it kinda sounds like you're asking for a booty call. But I can't, I've got cheer practice and then straight home for dinner with mi abuela.**

I was upset that she couldn't come over but that didn't stop me from laughing at her little _booty call _comment. She was just unbearably rash sometimes and it was awesome. I'm around girls all day and I can safely say that Santana Lopez was one of a kind.

Where do you find people like her anywhere else in the world? Tortured souls I guess. That's the only way to describe her.

**[To Santana]: Rain check then. Don't hold out on me though, I've got to hang out with you soon.**

I didn't really have to wait for her response, I know she'd tell me that we'd hang out soon or she'd add some witty comment about me being needy and she was right. A part of me needed Santana in my life. I know it seems cheesy, no not cheesy, insane.

I liked her.

That was it, I didn't have to push the thoughts in my mind any further. I liked her and I just accepted that, because if I thought about it too much then I'd have to understand what that means and frankly I don't, and I don't want to.

….

Rachel's POV

After experiencing detention I had a new outlook on life. Not completely new, I wasn't exactly going to go over to the dark side, but new enough that I smiled at more than one person at school today. It felt good to walk down the hallway without getting shoved for once, I know no one noticed the change in me, but that didn't make it any less real.

It really doesn't matter.

I turn 16 soon and I still am not fully prepared to get my license. I don't think I could handle the responsibility just yet. So that's why I'm waiting here right now, slumped up against the brick wall in the front of the school. It was getting late, well late for my father. He'd be slacking on his punctuality lately and it was really starting to bother me. "Hey Rachel, can I talk to you?" That was just like me, to be so lost in my world that I didn't even notice Santana standing right in front of me, gripping the straps of her backpack, and with her fedora still on her head. I loved that fedora on her more than anything.

"Yes!" I said all too eagerly. "I mean…sure, what is it?"

"Can we actually walk and talk? Just to the football field, I just feel more comfortable…if I'm not contained." _Contained_? I never understood that feeling, maybe it's because my fathers always pushed me to be open and pursue what I wanted. Santana must not have the same luxury.

"Of course." I stood and walked towards the football field, side-by-side with Santana, who looked preoccupied and flustered. "You're making me nervous."

"I'm sorry." She said laughing it off. "Look let me start by saying I apologize for the way I've been acting around you." I didn't quite understand what she was saying. She'd been kind to me. "I know I've been a bad influence on you and that wasn't right of me to push my boundaries with you. It was stupid of me, frankly, and I don't know how else to say I'm sorry." Now I was completely confused. She was apologizing.

"You haven't done anything wrong Santana." She continued walked but I reached my arm out and grabbed her hand, stopping her mid-stride. "Did you father make you say this?" She looked away and that was an answer in of itself. "Why are you doing this? You know you don't have to-."

"I do." She whispered between clenched teeth. I looked around wondering why she was trying to be quiet, to cover up this conversation. There was no one around to hear us. "I shouldn't have asked you for a ride either, that was rude to your father. Just accept my apology and I'll leave you alone." She pulled her hand away from mine and searched my eyes for something. "Please." She pleaded in a heartbreakingly chilling away.

"You don't have to leave me alone and you certainly do not have to apologize for being kind to me." Santana gave me a forced smile before we continued walking again.

"I should apologize for being a bad influence though. I know my language isn't always the best and I've never once heard you curse before. I hope that doesn't freak you out." The truth was it sort of excited me. Every vulgar word she said made me want to talk to her more and more. There was something edgy about her, but it was so much more than that.

"I curse plenty." I said with a huff. Maybe I didn't, but she didn't have to know that. She smiled and shook her head.

"You do not." She exclaimed. We'd circled the football field twice and I automatically gravitated towards the bleachers, pulling Santana down to sit next to me. "I swear I've never heard you utter a curse word."

"You've known I exist for like a month so that's not really saying much." Santana laughed out loud and then her eyes began to look mysteriously darker again.

"Rachel Berry, you wanna be a bad girl?" I blushed and looked away so she wouldn't see how much of a geek I was. "Prove it." She whispered in my ear. A light tingle trailed down my neck when I felt her breath on my skin, it was daunting and beautiful at the same time. "Just say one curse word." She dared.

"Which one?" I asked biting my bottom lip in anticipation.

"How about…_fuck_." I let out a small gasp just at the way it sounded coming from her. "It's the dirtiest curse word right?"

"Okay fine." I said faking my confidence, which is a skill I've learned to perfect. "_Fuck_." It came out quiet and weak, but I still said it. I couldn't say how I felt about it because I don't even know how to think when I'm under Santana's gaze.

"Did it feel good?" She asked gently resting her hand on my knee. "I mean the first time I cursed I was four and it felt amazing. Was this your first…time?" We both turned away from one another for a second, realizing how it sounded. "I didn't mean…"

"I know what you meant. I-…embarrassingly enough, this was my first time." Our eyes met briefly, before she began laughing. "It's not funny."

"I'm sorry I don't mean to laugh." She said covering her mouth. "I've never met-…" She stopped herself for a moment before continuing. "Never mind." Her phone buzzed in her pocket and she reached for it. She read a text message before texting back with an annoyed sigh.

"Is there something wrong?" I asked.

"Quinn's talking about a party at some guy's house on Friday. I don't want to go but now I have to." I didn't understand the logic. Why was she forced to go to a party?

"Why do you have to go?"

"Because Puck's gonna be there and…long story." Santana said checking her phone again. "Do you um…you wanna go?"

"Me?" I almost face palmed at how stupid I must have sounded.

"Is there someone else sitting next to me right now?" She questioned sarcastically. "Don't feel obligated to answer now, just let me know by then…oh and…" She leaned in closer to me. "Your father has been honking his horn for the past five minutes." I flushed with embarrassment as I noticed the sound of my father demonstrating how dramatic the Berry family really was. "Bye Rachel."

….

The best way to spend a Thursday evening? Record shopping in downtown Lima. Okay I was this giant music geek but I sort of took pride in it. My dad had medicine and science, while my daddy had art, I sort of got stuck with music and I loved it. I walked into _Oldies LPS_ with about thirteen dollars in my pocket and a full two stories of records to explore on my own.

I went straight to the musicals; they were across from the jazz and blues records. That'll be my next stop in here.

I just flipped past the soundtrack of _Cabaret _when I caught a slight glance of ruffled pink hair. I looked up and saw a girl looking through the jazz LPS, she had headphones around her neck with a Rolling Stones cut off t-shirt on. Wait a moment, that wasn't just a girl, that was Quinn Fabray!

"Quinn I never knew you were the jazz type." I worked my way around the barrier between the two shelves and stood next to her. She glanced over at me and laughed.

"Whoa, I'm not Quinn." She said continuing to flip through the stacks of records. I understood that she didn't exactly like me, but did she have to be so rude.

"Quinn, that's insanely rude of you to be acting this way. Clearly you changed your style but certainly not your attitude." I crossed my arm over my chest and waited for her response. "Quinn!"

"Okay listen to me, I'm not Quinn so stop calling me that. That's fucking insulting." She took a Billie Holiday record and examined it for a moment before setting it aside so she could return to it later.

"Okay, if you don't want to talk to me you should've just said that from the beginning, but I don't think Santana would approve-."

"Hold on you know Santana?" This was just getting out of hand now. I looked around to check to see if there were hidden cameras around. "You must go to McKinley then I guess." I didn't even know what to say right now. I stared at her without saying anything. "What's wrong with you? Are you like simple or something?"

"Listen Quinn Fabray, I'd really appreciate it if you just stopped-."

"Okay you clearly aren't listening." She turned and faced me completely. "My name is not Quinn, I'm Charlie…Charlie Fabray." She held out her hand for me to take, but she'd have to be a little more convincing than this. She returned her hand to her side. "You don't believe me?"

"Why should I _Quinn_?"

"Quinn's my sister, we're twins. Jeez, what a total bitch. I can't believe she went all _Secret Life_ about me. I bet like 90% of the school doesn't even know I went there." Okay no one would make up something that ridiculous unless it was true.

"You're twins." I stated.

"I'm older by 3 minutes." She said with a big smile. "God I can't believe you thought I was Quinn. That's so fucked up on like a million levels, she's a friggin bore. You owe me an apology."

"I'm sorry I really didn't know." I said honestly.

"It's okay don't worry about it…um…what's your name?"

"Rachel." I said wondering if she recognized my name. Maybe Quinn had mentioned me before, probably in an insulting way, but it would still be interesting.

"Hm…well, maybe I'll see you around Rachel." Charlie grabbed her Billie Holiday LP and stopped to look at me. "Next time you see Quinn tell her you wish Charlie had stayed at McKinley instead of her."

**Review…Review…Review**


	12. Blame it on the Alcohol

**Things get a little heated with Rachel and Santana here but it doesn't go too far. Next Chapter expect more interactions between Quinn and Charlie as well as Rachel and Santana.**

Charlie's POV

I was lounging on the couch in the room that Quinn and I used to entertain guests. I was watching reruns of _Friends_ and eating popcorn when Quinn walked in and sat down next to me. I offered her some popcorn but she declined. I guessed that she didn't want to eat salty food after cheer practice, it would add too many calories to her daily intake.

"What's for dinner?" I asked Quinn, wondering if she'd caught mom preparing something on her way upstairs.

"I dunno mom never said." Quinn replied.

"Hey do you know some weird short chick named…Robin or like something or another with an 'R'…wait, like Rachel. Do you know a Rachel?" Quinn turned and stared at me with an odd expression. She looked shocked and annoyed at the same time.

"I swear to God if you're talking about Rachel Berry I'm gonna punch you square in the jaw." I smirked, okay so the must have been a story behind this. Now I was excited. That Rachel girl seemed sort of like a blabber mouth, but why would Quinn even be around her? Quinn was top bitch at McKinley where did that put this Rachel girl?

"I don't know her last name. She's short with brown hair and huge brown eyes." Quinn covered her face and sat there fuming without even telling me why. "What's your beef with her?"

"I've known that girl for all of three weeks and she just rubs me the wrong way. She's damn annoying and I'm pretty sure she has a shrine dedicated to Santana in her closet or something freaky like that." I laughed because Quinn was notorious for exaggerating everything.

"She did seem kind of weird, and she seriously wouldn't listen to me when I kept saying that I wasn't you." Now it was Quinn's turn to laugh. "Clearly she thinks very highly of you."

"So you don't think she believed you?" Quinn asked raising an eyebrow. She had her crooked grin on her face and that's when I knew she was up to something.

"Well maybe by the end she did, but she certainly seemed reluctant at first. I had this feeling that she thought you would pretend to be someone else just to screw with her and let's be honest you would totally pull some shit like that." Quinn smiled and took the popcorn bowl out of my hands. I tried to grab it back but Quinn placed it on the table in front of us.

"It would be so much fun to screw around with her!" Quinn exclaimed. "Oh my god, I've got a brilliant idea." Quinn stood up and began pacing in front of me.

"Lay it on me Grace Kelly." I said calmly.

"Okay tomorrow you're gonna come to Puck's party. We could spend the whole time fucking around with that little midget. Like pull this whole bipolar thing on her." Quinn was never one to be subtle about her disdain for someone else.

"That's a little much Quinn and also…" I ran a hand through my pink hair. "I've got pink hair you idiot."

"Wanna dye it? Just for the night? Come on it'd be fun!" I rolled my eyes at my sister and debated pushing her off the couch.

"You're fucking insane. I'm not dyeing my hair so you can play a prank on someone. How about you be nice to her for a change, I'm sure that'll freak her the hell out." Quinn glared at me and then looked away. "I'm just throwing out options."

"You're no fun anymore." Quinn said grabbing a handful of popcorn and stuffing it into her mouth.

"Wait that girl seemed like she'd be the type to be on the bottom of the social ladder. Why is she even going to Puck's party?" I asked.

"It was Santana's bright idea. She said that Rachel was right there when I texted her about it and she thought it would be rude not to invite her." Santana was a real sweetheart deep down. She probably felt bad for that girl. "Rude my ass. We're gonna get shit for even having her there."

"So even though I'm not complying with your idiotic plan can I still go to the party?" I asked with a pleading smile. Quinn gave me an _are you shitting me _glare before crossing her arms over her chest.

"You don't need my permission Char; you can go wherever you want." Quinn said in that patronizing voice of hers.

"Okay well if you don't want me there then why don't you just say so?" I sassed back

"I never said that-."

"You didn't have to. Just about no one at that school even knows I exist anyway. If you think we're competing or something then you're crazy." Quinn looked disinterested and I just slipped down further on the couch. "We can be friends now; I don't want to go to the party to make a big scene or something. You can just do your thing for all I care, I just want to drink and hang around with Britt and San."

"Fine we can have fun. It'll be good to do something together anyway." Quinn said finally agreeing with me. I smiled and gave my sister a high five. "I don't know if San and I will be coming back here before we go to Puck's or not. Do you want to drive or what?" I thought about it for a moment.

"Well if you and San might come back here, why don't I take Britt?" I suggested.

"I dunno, San says she thinks you try and scare her sometimes. So when you take her tomorrow you'd better be nice." Quinn warned.

"Yeah yeah." I said rolling my eyes. "I'll be an angel…now come on let's see what mom made for dinner." I stood up and Quinn jumped on my back and I had to hold her up so we both wouldn't topple over. "The fuck Q?"

"Giddy up punk."

…

Santana's POV

"I know I asked you to come with me, but it's not like I need a babysitter. I can take care of myself." My bullshit-o-meter was going off like crazy. Quinn was smart but not street smart and that was the reason why Puck's lame ass was able to get her into bed in the first place. "So don't feel obligated or something."

"I don't mind going to the party, jeez. Maybe I'm going for Britt, have you thought about that?" That was clearly a lie. Brittany was going if I was going and I was going if Quinn was going and that was just the way things were. "Plus it's not like I want to be home anyway. A party would do me some good."

"Do you have a weird thing for hats? I guess I've never noticed because we spend 98 percent of our time in our Cheerios uniform." Quinn tapped the top of my black beanie and I shrugged. I guess I'd like just about anything that covers things up, it was like a lame metaphor for my life.

"I dunno, I like hats, big deal." I muttered as I slammed my locker closed. Only one more period until the weekend and luckily for me I had a free period. I didn't mind waiting around to drive Quinn or Brittany home, but I didn't know what I was going to do until then. "So what are you doing after school before the party?" I asked Quinn.

"Red alert, your stalker is coming over here." I turned around and Rachel was walking briskly over towards us. I smiled when she gave me a small wave, but then she looked over at Quinn. "What's your defect? Why the hell are you looking at me like that?"

"I just had to make sure your hair was still blonde." Quinn squinted her eyes at Rachel.

"What the hell is your shadow talking about?" Quinn asked me but I looked just as confused.

"I met your sister yesterday." I let out a laugh just at the thought. I'll bet Charlie made quite the first impression.

"Shut up San." Quinn snapped before turning back towards Rachel. "Yes, Charlie informed me that she had the unfortunate pleasure of meeting you yesterday. She probably cried herself to sleep." I nudged Quinn in the shoulder.

"It was probably just as unfortunate for Rachel." I interjected. "So uh Rachel, did you think about my invitation? To the party tonight I mean."

"I'm really not sure." My spirits fell just a little. I was kind of hoping that she'd want to go. I figured she never went to things like this and maybe I could open up her world a little more.

"Sounds like a no to me, that's so sad that you can't make it. I was really hoping you'd join us." Quinn said voice dripping with sarcasm.

"You don't have to be rude Quinn, if she doesn't want to go she doesn't have to." I said giving Rachel an encouraging smile.

"It's not that I don't want to…" I smirked and shared a glance with Quinn.

"If you change your mind, you just let me know." I said making sure to make eye contact with Rachel. She nodded and waved before walking off in the opposite direction. "So if she decides to go-." I started as I turned my attention back to Quinn. "-Then I could take all four of us to your house and then to the party."

"Well I've got a change of clothes and since Sue is keeping you out of practice and making you watch, you could just wear that. There's no need to go back to my house." Quinn explained. "Also Charlie is taking Britt."

"Come again." I said trying to figure out why she would say something so strange. Why would Charlie take Brittany?

"Charlie asked to take her yesterday, I don't know why, but you can go ask her if you really want to know." I eyed Quinn suspiciously but decided to let it go. It wasn't a big deal it was just sort of weird. Maybe this had to do with the way I sort of went off on Charlie earlier this week, who knows? "Anyway, we'll leave here after practice and grab something to eat on the way."

"Sounds like a plan Fabray." I offered to walk her to class but she declined saying that if I took her she'd probably end up late because we'd carry on a long conversation. One more period and then we'd be out of here.

…

I walked under the bench and looked out towards the field just to make sure Sue wasn't working Brittany or Quinn too hard. Although I wasn't practicing right now, that didn't mean I got to slack off. Sue had me running around, on water duty and laundry duty, but now all I had to do was wait another 15 minutes before we could all leave.

I turned to my left and walked up the bleachers. Was that…Rachel? "You know Sue isn't letting me practice." Rachel jumped up to her feet and flushed with embarrassment. "I mean I assumed you were looking for me."

"I was…I thought you'd already left or something and maybe I'd be too late." I pushed my hands into my pockets and smiled.

"Too late for what?" I asked taking her hand and sitting down with her. I let go and looked out towards the field. Brittany was doing back flips like it was her job and it was a sight to see.

"Do you think I'm weird?" Rachel asked nervously.

"What? No weirder than anyone else in this town." I told her honestly. "You shouldn't be nervous about anything, it's just a party."

"I've never been to a high school party." Rachel confessed.

"And you think I'd let something bad happen to you? Not a chance." I assured her. "Like I said I was only going to look out for Quinn, but I think I could look out for you too." She smiled a genuine and beautiful smile.

"Do you think Quinn would mind if I tagged along? She doesn't seem too excited about the whole idea. I'd hate to make her upset on a night that she wants to have fun." I would've rolled my eyes if I didn't think she was serious.

"She'll be fine, and she'll be able to have her fun…and so will you." Rachel dipped her head down slightly and smiled just at the thought. "No one is gonna make you do anything you don't want to. Let's just enjoy ourselves, if only for one night"

…

Rachel's POV

Santana and I were waiting in her car with the windows down and with Santana's Ipod plugged into the auxiliary port. She had this beautiful taste in music. It was the last thing I expected from her. The sounds of _Bon Iver_or _Ane Brun_ flowing through the car made me think that Santana had a hauntingly dark side to her and I was far too afraid to encounter that part of her.

She played with her hair as she looked out the window. Occasionally she'd glance over at me just to see if I was still okay. "She's just taking a shower, she'll be out in a second." Santana said. "We'll go grab something to eat soon if you're really hungry. I don't know what you like…what about a burger or something." She reached into her pocket and pulled out her wallet, seemingly checking if she had enough money. She was going to pay for me without even asking if I had enough money.

"I'm actually…well I'm a vegan." I don't know why but it almost always seemed embarrassing when I told people. I should have been proud of who I am, but the looks I received from people just made me feel like I was such an outsider.

"That's amazing." Santana said simply as if I was supposed to feel as amazing as her voice sounded. "Kind of beautiful really, if you think about it. Poetic in a way." She added the last part just as we both caught a glimpse of Quinn walking towards us. She'd changed into a form fitting black dress. She looked pretty but in a classic and casual sort of way. "We'll get tofu or something." Santana said as Quinn got into the backseat.

"Um excuse me, but I don't think I ever remember you calling shotgun midge." The shortened nickname did not make me feel any better right now. "God San, she doesn't even need the leg room."

"Quinn stop being so rude." Santana defended. "We're gonna go to that one Chinese place that has everything, so Rachel can get tofu and you can get pork eggrolls."

"Tofu? The fuck for?" Quinn asked sticking her head in between the seats. Santana sped up just before she turned into the Chinese food place, called _Chinese Expressway_, and she pulled up to the drive through. As she ordered, I played with the hem of my shirt. Quinn still had her head between the seats and she glanced over at me. "You a veggie lover or something?"

"Or something." I responded cheerfully. We got the food, Santana let Quinn and I eat, while we drove. After about five minutes Quinn spoke up.

"Hey did Puck talk to you?" She directed this right at Santana who furrowed her eyebrows. "I'll take that as a no. He wanted you to get some _Jack Daniels_."

"What makes him think that I could even do that? I don't even have my fake I.D. with me." Santana said even as she pulled into a corner store. Joe_'s Liquor Mart_. "Quinn why don't you take care of this?"

"I can't San, I'm 16 and I look 16." Actually, I think that Quinn could pass for an 18 year old. Santana turned off her car and got out. She didn't look happy at but she walked into the store. "Just you watch, she's gonna come out here with a shit ton of alcohol." Quinn said.

"How do you know that? If they ask for an I.D. she won't be able to get anything." Quinn rolled her eyes at me.

"You don't know her at all do you? She can manipulate the hell out of anyone. One look from her and you're done." Quinn seemed so sure that I had to believe her. It only took Santana five minutes to come out with a paper bag filled with liquor. She looked bothered about something, but she just got into the car quietly. Quinn took the bag from her with a grin. "Holy shit! How much did you get?"

"8 bottles, I paid for 3 and the guy threw in 5. I guess he was charmed by my wicked good looks." I smiled to myself at that. Santana had a way with words, a way that was simple and sweet. "Puck better pay me back or I'll drop kick his ass." The threat sounded sincere but she laughed it off a second later.

"You got any tequila in here?" Quinn asked as she rummaged through the bag. I resisted the urge to roll my eyes, partially because I didn't want Quinn to yell at me but also because Santana had just pulled into the driveway of a very large and very loud mansion. There were plenty of cars on the street, all down the street actually, and from the looks of a few jocks and cheerleaders who were running around the front of the house there was also plenty of alcohol already there.

"Alright we're here…shit is that Corey?" Santana asked as a boy ran past my door and tripped on Puck's front steps. Santana sighed and Quinn grabbed a bottle out of the plastic bag before shoving it into Santana's arms. She dashed inside leaving Santana and I to walk slowly towards the party.

I was getting cold feet. "We'll just walk in and I'll give this stuff to Puck. Just stay by me." Immediately my mind went to that Trent Dabbs song, and my heart nearly melted at the thought. I wondered if Santana had ever heard that song, because if she had, then she would've understood how special those words meant to me.

The music hit me like nothing I've ever felt before. The bass was up and the smell of sweat collided with the low rhythms in my ears. My senses of hearing and smell were so overpowered that I avoided looking up for the short walk in fear of my sight failing me. "Hey yo Puckster, you owe me." Santana pushed the paper bag into his arms. She reached in and grabbed a bottle of vodka first before she reached back and grabbed my hand, pulling me into another room. "Charlie just texted me she's supposed to be-."

"San, why is my baby sis already drunk?" The room we were in wasn't as crowded as the other one. At least I see five feet in front of me. The music wasn't blaring as hard, but Santana ushered me over to a couch where we both sat down next to Charlie Fabray. It was hard not to just stare at her. Her pink hair was just as intriguing as it was strange.

"Would you stop calling her a baby? She gets pissed about that." Santana replied. "And I dunno, Quinn's always the one passing out at the end of the night at these things."

"She can't handle the good stuff." Charlie said nodding towards the bottle Santana was carrying. Santana handed Charlie the bottle and she opened it, taking a quick drink before screwing the cap on and handing it to me. "I don't want Santana to overdo it." Charlie explained when I gave her a curious glance.

"Excuse me?" Santana said aggressively.

"I'm just trying to protect you." They both shared a glance before Santana looked down at her feet.

"I don't need protection, you're not my keeper." I don't think Santana meant to sound as harsh as she did because she sighed heavily after it came out. "Go find Britt and make sure she's not messing around with any guys." It was like Santana was ordering Charlie around and Charlie understood enough not to fight back.

"I hear Puck's trying to get a spin the bottle game going." Charlie said directly to Santana.

"Nah no thanks." Santana said as if she could not have been more determined against the whole idea. "What about you Rachel? Planning on kissing anyone tonight?" I thought about opening up the bottle of vodka and downing the entire thing. I would've done anything not to answer that question.

"The night's still young." I said trying to sound playful but instead it came out coy and quiet.

"See, now this girl knows how to have fun. I thought you were a wild one Santana, turns out you're just a baby." It was charming watching their banter. They had this no regrets thing going on between them and it made me wish I had a friendship like that with someone.

"Fuck off Char; you just want an excuse to kiss me again." Again? They'd kissed before? Santana nudged Charlie in the shoulder and stood to her feet. "Rachel, would you like to dance?" She didn't wait for my response she just took my hand and pulled me into the other room. "Sorry, I just wanted to get away from _Thing 2_." Santana said with a grin. She pulled me in close to her and we gently moved to the rhythm. She was inexplicably smooth with her movements and she made the room flare with heat, every time her hands grazed the sliver of skin under my shirt.

It was far from flirtatious, but it was sensual. "Let's grab a drink." Santana offered. The dancing didn't last nearly as long as I'd hoped for but Santana did have her arm around my waist and that made me feel close enough to her. She took a shot glass from a jock and downed it. Then another. Then two more.

"San." Brittany squeezed between two boys and rushed over to pull Santana into a hug. "You look cute Sanni." Brittany said playing with the puffball on the top of Santana's beanie. Brittany leaned in and kissed the corner of Santana's mouth. I looked away but Santana kept her arm around my body tightly. "Oh and you brought Rachel! They're about to play spin the bottle! Will you guys play so maybe I can kiss you?" I couldn't believe that she'd be so open about something like that.

"You can kiss Charlie. Come on Rachel, let's go out back. A bunch of horny teens and booze, it's not gonna be pretty in here." I think I was at the complete mercy of Santana. At this point, I probably would have jumped off a cliff for her.

I still had the bottle of vodka in my hands and I didn't quite know how to hold it. I probably looked so stupid right now. We went out on the back porch. I could still hear the music but the screen doors muffled it. The lights turned on automatically, but it was still dark out here. "Do you want a drink?" Santana asked as she leaned up against the rail.

"How does it taste?" I asked her. She shrugged and took the bottle from me. She took a long gulp, enough to fill two shot glasses, and then she handed the bottle back to me.

"Burns a bit going down." I wanted to taste it but I was too afraid.

"Why was Charlie worried about you drinking?" I questioned.

"She's overprotective." Santana said plainly. She reached out and took the bottle out of my hands again. I wondered why I was even holding the darn thing in the first place. Santana gave me a wink before she took another gulp of the vodka. She did it so easily; it was like she'd had plenty of practice. "If you want to go back in there you should. I'm keeping you away from your first real party."

"I prefer being out here with you." I said honestly. Santana took a step forward and wobbled a little. "Even if you are drunk." I added the last part with a smile.

"I'm not drunk." She said stomping her foot down on the ground. I giggled and Santana did not look amused.

"You are drunk." I informed her. She stood right in front of me and reached into my skirt pocket like it was nothing. She pulled out the key to my house. "What are you doing?" I asked trying to reach for it, but she pulled it back and put it in her pocket. "Give me that back." I demanded.

"I'd prefer it if you begged." Santana said biting her lower lip. "Come on Rachel beg for it." She hopped over the railing and began walking backwards towards the open area that was the backyard. She wanted me to chase after her and I wanted to chase after her. I put the bottle down, ran down the steps, and began pacing towards her. She was much faster than I was but she was drunk and her speed slowed accordingly.

I was about to reach out and grab the back of her shirt when she toppled over and fell to the ground. It was a shame I was so close to her because seconds later I fell down right on top of her. If it wasn't so sudden I would have laughed, but here I was straddling Santana's hips. She began laughing as she tried to push me off her. She wasn't as strong when she was drunk and she failed miserably.

"Shit you're right I am drunk." Santana said continuing to laugh. "You're pretty light you know." She had her hands on my hips now and she was pushing her body up so that she was propped up on her elbows.

"Can I have my key back?"

"Why don't you get it yourself?" Santana muttered. I was hesitant at first, just touching Santana was enough to freak me out, but I reached my hand into her front pocket and pulled out the key. She wouldn't stop staring at me, I blamed it on the alcohol and she would blame it too if she was stable enough to say so. "Can I h-have more drink?"

"Santana, maybe I should take you home." I offered.

"You want to take me home? Why?" Santana asked leaning in closer to me. "Most people who ask to take people home just want to fuck them. So why'd you say that? Do you want to fuck me?" I tried to get off her but she grabbed my wrist and held me in place. "My head is gonna explode tomorrow morning I can feel it."

"Hey, what are you guys doing?" I turned towards the porch and saw Charlie standing there. She must have picked up the bottle of vodka because now she was walking over with it in her hand. I hastily got off Santana and with the help of Charlie we pulled Santana up to her feet. "Were you messing with my girl?" _My girl_?

"No, she was just fooling around." I informed Charlie. "Let's take her back inside." I offered. We lifted Santana together.

My first real party and I end up carrying someone back inside. Santana Lopez. What was I going to do with her?


	13. Pleasantville

Charlie's POV

The morning after was always pretty terrible. Whether it was the morning after getting high or a party or worst of all sex. This time my hangover was just bothering me a little more than usual but that was alright, at least I didn't blackout like Quinn did.

I vaguely remember making Brittany drive us home last night, even though she doesn't have her license and she was driving on the wrong side of the road for most of the time. I think she was crashing in our guest bedroom or something. I wonder if Quinn and Santana are up now, that's doubtful based on the amount of liquor they consumed last night.

I remember talking to Santana and that weird girl she was with. I remember dancing with Brittany and Noah punching a guy who tried to take Quinn upstairs with him. The one thing I remember for sure is going out back and finding Santana being straddled by that dwarfette and having to carry San back inside.

What was with that girl? I know Quinn was going overboard with her whole stalker theory but now I don't think it was that far off. Or maybe she was just same lame wannabe and Santana took pity on her, that could be it too.

I stood up realizing I was still wearing my entire outfit from last night, including my boots. I took them off; actually, I took everything off and threw on a cozy blue sweatshirt, pajama pants, and sunglasses that were hanging off the side of my mirror. Hangovers could be a bitch.

I slugged my way across the hall and knocked on Quinn's door. No answer. I looked to my left at the clock in the hallway it was 1:46. Luckily for us, the rents were at a Christian couples retreat in Pennsylvania and they wouldn't be back until tomorrow, otherwise we'd all be fucked right now.

I knocked again, harder this time. "Go away." Santana sounded like she was muffled by covers or maybe a pillow, that seemed irrelevant right now because I just opened the door and walked in.

What do you call a mistake that seems so awful at first but then gets worse as you view the situation in it's entirety? Well whatever that's called, that's what was happening to me right now. What I saw at first was my sister and Santana cuddled up on her bed. When I looked closer I saw my sister and Santana cuddled up on her bed, except my sister was shirtless and she was lying on top of Santana.

Not a sight I needed to see ever.

I took a step back and practically bulldozed my body into Quinn's dresser, which successfully woke up Santana. She blinked twice and yawned, before she pushed her body up and noticed where Quinn was. "The fuck, where's her shirt?" As if I knew and as if I wanted to know.

"I don't even want to know what happened last night." I joked as I walked over and sat down on the foot of the bed.

"Kindly fuck off Char." Santana said pushing Quinn over to the other side of the bed. She sat up further and laughed. "What happened last night?" She asked.

"You got wasted." I informed her.

"So did you judging by those sunglasses you're sporting. My head hurts like a bitch." Santana said glancing over at Quinn. "Your sister got fucked up last night. How did we get home?"

"Britt took us." I replied. "She's asleep in the guest bedroom."

"Where did Rachel go?" Santana asked as she finally stood to her feet. She walked over to Quinn's dresser and rummaged through her clothes looking for something to change in to. She pulled out a hoodie and threw it on over her shirt.

"Some kid…Kurt maybe? He came and picked her up." Santana frowned and kicked the corner of Quinn's desk. "Is that a problem? She seemed pretty happy that he came."

"I was supposed to be looking out for her and now she probably thinks I'm some reckless drunk." Now it was my turn to frown. Santana shouldn't be upset about this. Rachel was safe with her friend and that should be all that matters. It was stupid of her to get so upset over nothing. "Are Britt's parents coming to get her? Holy shitballs!" I jumped at the sound of her voice.

"What?" Santana didn't answer. She bolted downstairs and I followed her out to my driveway. "What's wrong?"

"My car is still at the fucking house!" I was unaware that this was an issue. It wasn't really a big deal, I could just take her over later and she could get her car.

"I'll just take you now then." I offered. Santana shook her head and then turned to go back inside. So now she didn't want to go? She was acting kind of strange today. I followed her again, as we returned to Quinn's room.

"Sorry I just freaked out. It's the only thing I own." I furrowed my eyebrows, what exactly did she mean by that? I didn't question it, but I wanted to.

"Do you want something to eat?" I asked her.

"Quinn's the chef, why don't we wake her up?" Santana suggested. She jumped on Quinn's bed, jumping up and down like a child. She was singing something, something in Spanish, something that made me laugh and watch her with intense eyes. Quinn opened her eyes and grabbed Santana's legs, tackling her down to the bed.

"Ugh…wow remind me to never ever ever ever drink again." Quinn said in the groggy voice of hers. "Gah I'm starving." Quinn exclaimed as she rolled out of her bed and onto the floor. I grabbed a shirt from her dresser and tossed it to her. She pulled it on and stood up after about three minutes of trying.

"Quinnie bear, will you make us something to eat?" Santana pleaded. How could anyone say no to that?

"Yeah, yeah, I'll cook for you ungratefuls." I smiled as Quinn left her room and went downstairs to begin cooking. I heard footsteps from down the hall and I assumed it was Brittany. She walked into Quinn's room a second later. She didn't look so bad, not like the rest of us, but how could she ever look bad. Brittany always wore a smile on her face except on those rare occasions when she was worried about Santana.

"Hi guys." Brittany said walking over and kissing Santana square on the lips. I watched and a pang of jealous went through my body. "Sanni, how are you feeling? You drank a lot last night."

"Yeah I know, but I feel fine Britt. Quinn's making us food downstairs and you can come with Charlie and I when I go get my car. Then I'll take you home." Brittany nodded and cuddled up in Santana's arms. I wish I was so open and innocent like Brittany, then I could kiss Santana openly and no one would bat an eyelash.

The doorbell rang and we all looked downstairs wondering who it was. Brittany got up and looked outside to check on the front porch. "It's Rachel!"

"What?" Santana and I said in unison exchanging glances before we rushed downstairs. What on earth was she doing here?

…

Santana's POV

I rushed downstairs in hopes that Quinn hadn't gotten to the door yet. False hope. I caught her yelling at Rachel with a spatula in one hand and her face red from frustration. "…listen you little twat, how the hell did you know where I live? Did you Google Map that shit? You're insane and you need to go." I grabbed Quinn's wrist and pulled her back inside, so she was standing behind me.

"Rachel, what are you doing here?" I asked. She looked impressively better than all of us did right now. She had on fresh clothes and she had a warm smile on her face as soon as her eyes connected with mine.

"That's a damn good question." Quinn interjected.

"Shut up Quinn and go back into the kitchen." I waited for Quinn to sass me back but apparently, she was too tired to get into an argument. I could hear Charlie and Brittany shuffling behind me and following Quinn into the kitchen.

"You two sound like an old married couple." Rachel joked and I leaned my arm up against the door and smiled.

"I couldn't marry her; she'd control me too much." I replied. I looked behind me and saw that Quinn was serving up pancakes, but never looking away from Rachel and me. I took a step forward and closed the front door behind me. "So, what's up? And who is in that car back there?" I looked over her shoulder and saw a black Buick Lacrosse parked on the street. The windows were tinted but I could hear the car running from here.

"Oh that's just Kurt. I stayed at his house last night, but I came over to make sure you were alright. I have Advil in the car-."

"You really didn't have to." I assured her. "I bet I made a fool of myself last night anyway. How much did I drink?" Rachel laughed and rested her hand on my wrist, she was shy and sweet right now, and I didn't mind that she was touching me.

"Um…a lot. I don't know how to put a quantity on the amount you consumed last night." I laughed because she said _quantity_ and she was being dead serious. I wanted to tell her that she was ridiculous, that kids our age didn't talk like that, but I didn't. "I'll go though…if that's what you want." I bit my lip trying to conceal a smile. She looked down at her feet and started to turn away, but I opened my mouth to say something.

"That's not what I want." I told her. "Come inside, I'll get my shoes and we'll go." I opened the door behind me and ushered Rachel upstairs. I went into Quinn's room and grabbed my shoes. I pulled them on and looked down at Quinn's sweatshirt that I was wearing. I'd just end up returning it later anyway.

"This is a very lovely house. I'd tell Quinn that but I don't think she'd appreciate my input." I smiled because I couldn't exactly make excuses for Quinn's behavior but I did find it entertaining.

"Yeah you're probably right; don't tell Charlie that either, she'll go off on a tangent about her parents." I explained. I led Rachel back downstairs and into the kitchen. "Hey I'm gonna head off with Rachel-."

"Do whatever you want, but when she tries to kidnap you you'd better not call here for ransom." Quinn replied eyeing Rachel.

"I'll see you at school Monday." I said to both Quinn and Brittany. I grabbed a pancake off Charlie's plate and took a bite. Damn could Quinn cook.

"I'll see you tomorrow night." Charlie said. Well this was the first I was hearing of meeting up with Charlie tomorrow, but I didn't question it. The geeky twitch that just fluttered across Charlie's face let me know that this was drug related. I could use a high. "Bye Rachel." At least someone was trying to be nice to her. Quinn was rude, Brittany just starred at her, but Charlie tried to make her feel human around us and I respected that.

As we walked outside and closer to the car, I could see the annoyed expression on Kurt's face. It had been about 10 minutes and I'll bet he wanted to get as far away from here as possible. I got into the backseat and even though I expected Rachel to sit up front, she got in and sat down next to me.

"Sorry you had to wait." I said trying to ease the tension with Kurt. He started driving off and I looked over at Rachel. "I can pay you back for the gas money. From last night too." I offered.

"No, it's my pleasure." Kurt lied through clenched teeth. I didn't like his vibe, not one bit. If he didn't want to be here then he didn't have to take time out of his day to help me out. I shifted in my seat and glanced over at Rachel again.

"Did I do something to offend you?" I asked Kurt.

"No, he's just upset because he's not a big fan of Quinn Fabray." Rachel explained with a half smile. I guessed that many people weren't exactly friends with Quinn, but God, this was unnecessary. It's not like Quinn ever hurt Kurt, not physically at least.

"Not many people are, I get it." I said rolling down the window. I wished that I had a cigarette or something to calm my nerves right now. My leg began shaking as Kurt slowed down and pulled into the driveway. There were only two cars there, Puck's, and mine and luckily, my car wasn't damaged. Kurt put his car in park and for some reason we all got out. Kurt was just standing outside of the driver's seat glaring at me while Rachel followed me all the way to my car.

"If you're not going to go home, where are you going to go?" Rachel asked as I pulled my keys out of my pocket.

"I dunno, probably drive around or something. Wish I would've stayed with Charlie, she could've stashed me up with something good." Rachel grabbed my wrist and pushed me back so my back was pressed up against my car.

"That stuff isn't good for you."

"I know that, but it makes me feel good." I told her gently pulling my wrist out of her grips. "Maybe I'll go to the gym or something. I haven't gotten a good workout in."

"Why can't you go home?" I looked over at Kurt, watching as he seemingly looked down upon me. Glaring at me like I'd done something to him. "I mean I drove you over here so go ahead and tell me. Why can't you go home?"

"That's none of your damn business." I informed him.

"You know what Kurt, how about you go ahead to work? Santana can take me home." Rachel offered without even asking me first. Kurt shrugged and got back in his car without even the slightest protest. He sped off like he couldn't wait to get away, leaving Rachel and I alone. "I assumed that you'd be willing to take me, I hope this time I've assumed right."

"Get inside." I pulled open the door and got in, waiting for a hesitant Rachel to get in beside me. She pulled on her seatbelt, but I didn't even think to put it on before I drove off. At the first stop sign I reached over and opened my glove compartment. Rachel watched me curiously as I pulled out a pack of cigarettes. _American Spirit_. I lit up and took a long drag before exhaling out the window and continuing to drive. "Your friend Kurt really has it out for me." I said after awhile.

"He's just looking out for me." Rachel rationalized.

"You're a big girl; you can take care of yourself." I took another drag. "It's cute though."

"What's cute?" Rachel asked perking up.

"That your boy Kurt thinks he can go head to head with me. Kid's way out of his league." Rachel laughed and so did I. I sure did make a convincing badass.

"You're very confident." Rachel said. She didn't make it sound negative but to me that's all I heard. I sped up a little and clenched the steering wheel a little tighter than I needed to.

"Cocky actually…get it right." I joked.

"A left right here." Rachel said and I turned down the most suburban looking street I've ever seen in my life. The houses were perfectly crafted with white picket fences and golden retrievers barking behind them.

"Real life _Pleasantville_." I muttered as I turned into a large house. It was green with a white trim and the absolute feeling of welcome flowing through the air. I put my car in park and unlocked our doors. "Well here we are." I waited for Rachel to get out of the car but she didn't move.

"It's a rule of my house that whoever takes me home has to walk me to the door." I waited for the punch line but when her expression didn't falter I realized she was serious. "My fathers are very old school."

"Gay dudes can be old school?" I questioned cocking my head to the side. Rachel covered her smile and got out of the car. I followed her all the way to the front door. Rachel rang her doorbell and I looked at her like she was crazy. Didn't she realize I was still holding a cigarette in my hand? I tossed it on the ground and stomped it out while simultaneously fanning out my clothes.

The door opened and there was Leroy Berry standing there with a huge grin on his face. "Hi girls."

"Hi dad!" Rachel said kissing her father on the cheek.

"Hello Dr. Berry." I said praying that he wouldn't ask me to come in.

"Once again it's Leroy." I dipped my head and laughed. He wasn't going to let me forget it. "Do you guys want something to eat? Veggie burgers or something?" I glanced over at Rachel hoping she'd let me decide on this rather than just forcing me into saying yes.

"No thank you Dr. Berry, but thank you for the offer." I said. "I'll see you at school Monday." Rachel looked down at her feet before she stared at her father until he muttered something about checking on his coffee and disappeared into the house.

"You can come in if you'd like, you've already met my father, and it's not like this is a high pressure situation." I didn't like that pleading tone of Rachel's it did make it seem like this pressure situation. She just didn't understand it and I didn't expect her to.

"I'll see you Monday Rachel, bye."

…

Quinn's POV

I began washing the bowl I'd used to mix the pancake batter earlier. I cook and I clean, I might as well get married right now and I'd be all set, or at least I'd be all set according to my mother. I heard the garage door go up and I assumed that Charlie had gotten back from dropping Brittany off. Or it could be that my parents spontaneously decided to come home a day early. Not likely, considering my parents are never spontaneous.

"Baby sis I'm home." I splashed Charlie with water and rolled my eyes. It was getting so annoying with her calling me that, but what was I going to do about it? Probably nothing.

"What did I tell you about calling me that?" I asked turning around and facing her.

"Well I figured I should probably start off this conversation bad considering how it's also going to end badly." I eyed Charlie curiously before walking past her and heading upstairs. I didn't like having conversations like this downstairs, I preferred my room, my own turf.

"That doesn't sound good. Last time you said something like that you told me you didn't believe in God." I sat down on my bed and watched Charlie open and close her mouth, preparing to speak but nothing came out. "I take it I should be sitting down for this."

"Quinn don't hate me." That's when I knew that she was going to tell me about what happened that night when she came home all bloodied up. She killed someone she really did kill someone. What were we going to do? How could I help her if she was a murderer?

"I could never hate you May." That was the God honest truth. I loved my sister more than anything and there was nothing that she could say to change that.

"You might not think that after I tell you-."

"You know what? That's pretty messed up of you, do you get that? Everybody's going around thinking that I'm some monster. Well fuck you then, I'm not going to turn my back on you. Not ever." I tried to fight back the tears but they came anyway. I just wanted people to trust me again.

"Luce." It was almost like when I called her May, Lucy is my first name, but she only calls me that when things are serious. "Luce…I think I might be different."

"Different how? Are you Wiccan or something? Because I know you've been watching _Charmed _a lot lately." Charlie didn't even crack a smile at that.

"I-I'm…you know what screw this." I thought she was going to turn around and leave. Instead she just turned around. "I'm gay."

**Review Por Favor.**


	14. Behind Closed Doors

Rachel's POV

I've never felt this kind of spiritual energy with anyone before. Was that strange of me to think that? Possibly. I never thought deeply about things like this. I was Jewish, and yes that was a very important factor in my life, but it was just there. Just like my cat, Liza, was just there. I never delved deep into the topic of spirituality at all.

I think that was the true problem. That was everyone's true problem. If you feel this energy coming off someone, drawing you to them, you just assume it's attraction, but not with Santana. This wasn't attraction, this was a spiritual awakening.

I was being overdramatic but frankly that was my trademark and I didn't mind it in the least. I don't think I've ever felt this connected to someone yet so distanced at the same time. Was she purposefully trying to keep me away? Or was I not pushing enough for us to be friends?

That was all beside the point. The point was, I was suddenly thinking about things like God and _Charmed_ and sacrifices and there was no way I could talk to anyone about it. Spirituality was quickly becoming as taboo as sexuality and that sort of bothered me.

It wasn't fair that now we live in a time where progress was so simple and social barriers are being destroyed, but suddenly we want to destroy our history too? We have to preserve it, our success and failures, it's what makes us who we are today.

And I know what the issue is. People associate spirituality with right wing conservatives when really it reaches far beyond that. I'm just getting ahead of myself here. I should just sit here and continue eating my lunch.

I think I should add that I was eating alone. It's not that I minded much, this was a normal occurrence, but what did bother me is the subtle looks from Santana. If she cared that I was alone, why didn't she just come over and sit with me? Because she's not an idiot, and she had a reputation to uphold, I thought to myself.

I wasn't knocked out of my thoughts until I heard a clang and turned to my left when I saw Jacob Ben Israel sitting next to me holding a tape recorder and sporting a pen in his shirt pocket. It's not that I didn't understand the social ladder that holds the standards for everything at McKinley High, but sometimes it just made me angry. I mean Jacob Ben Israel may by the most disgraceful individual at this school and still he holds some weight in people's minds. I've always assumed it's because he could destroy reputations at the snap of a finger and with the way he was smirking at me, I think I was right. He held the tape recorder up in my personal space and cleared his throat before speaking.

"There is a rumor going around that Santana Lopez cheats on her tests, any comment?" Apparently he was just blunt about everything. Frankly I wanted to smack him, but then I thought about getting suspended and how my fathers would be so disappointed in me so instead I used my words.

"That's a heinous thing to say. She would never cheat." As if I was so sure. Fact: I didn't know as much about Santana as I wish I did. Lie: I know that Santana would never cheat. Because, of course, I didn't know because I didn't know her.

"Care to explain further? How do you suppose she's balancing cheerleading and school so well then? Aren't cheerleaders notorious for being dumb?" Okay now I was certain I was going to smack him, I just didn't know how to go about it. I've done plenty of productions where I had to smack a co-star, but it was always a stage smack, so how does one go about smacking someone to hurt them?

"Hey Jewfro, I'm three seconds away from taking tape recorder and shoving it down your throat. You wanna test me then do it but if you're not gone in three seconds, you'll have a machine breathing for you." I was afraid to look up at Santana because I was afraid that her eyes were going to be furiously dark and I didn't want to see that side of her, not right now at least.

I didn't have to wait or mentally count to three because Jacob practically tripped over his own feet as he ran away and out of the cafeteria. Santana replaced him beside me. I stared at her Cheerios skirt for a moment, already missing her _street clothes_, until I composed myself and looked up at her.

She was staring at me. Staring so hard into my eyes that I wondered if it was a glare. "What did that Prez Hilton asshole want from you?" She asked. Her voice was empty, void of any comfort, and I wondered how she'd changed so much in just a day.

"There's a rumor about you cheating and I was trying to clear your name." Santana pondered for a second before scooting closer to me.

"Do me a favor and don't talk to him about it. If he comes and talks to you again send him to me. I can handle this." I was sort of taken aback by this. Why was she so calm? There was a dumb rumor about her going around and she didn't seem to care.

"_This_? You see when you say _this_ it makes it seem like there is a _this_, which there obviously isn't because you obviously don't cheat." Santana rolled her eyes and touched my arm under the table.

"It beats people thinking I sleep around or something. Plus a badass cheerleader who happens to be a nerd on the side…not a good look for me." I looked down at my half-eaten salad and then back up at Santana.

"For such a smart girl you sure seem pretty stupid right now." Suddenly a hand slammed down on the table. I flinched nearly falling out of my seat. It was Santana's hand, she was the one who caused every pair of eyes in the cafeteria to look over at us. She grabbed my lunch and flung it off the table. I watched as it crashed into the ground, a loud _clang_ and then a loud _screech _as Santana stormed off.

So much for the spiritual connection. So much for feeling so at one yet so far with Santana. Right now I felt as though she wanted nothing to do with me. She wanted nothing to do with me ever again.

…

Quinn's POV

Everyone saw Santana's outburst in the cafeteria. It was going to be hell trying to cover up for her. Now people were going to speculate, and as one of the most popular girls in school, speculation could be a bitch. Brittany and I were currently skipping our classes right now to track Santana down and figure out what her deal was.

"Maybe she's just on her period or something." I opened my mouth to tell Brittany how ridiculous that was until I realized, this time, she could actually be right. It was just a natural reaction to take what Brittany said as a joke.

"Or that dwarf freak just pissed her off." That was more likely in my book. I told Santana to stay away from her and this is what she gets for ignoring me. I was anticipating how exactly I was going to say _I told you so_ to her when we finally found her.

"You don't like Rachel?" Brittany inquired as if she had a hell of a lot to say about Rachel.

"She's the devil in disguise Britt." I informed her. I heard the faint sounds of a piano coming from the distance. "Someone's playing _Let It Be_…totally Santana." I said as we rounded the corner and headed for the choir room. Brittany reached the door first and she opened it quietly. I think we both secretly wanted to listen to her play for a while.

It was beautiful in a tormented youth sort of way. She could've played this in her sleep if she wanted to, but at least something so simple and sweet like the Beatles could keep her calm. Weed and music were the only two things that could keep her down. Well those things and occasionally Brittany.

Santana finished the song, we paused, we didn't breathe, not until I decided to open my mouth. "Santana." She turned around and sighed when she saw us. "What the hell was that back there? And if you say nothing, I'm going to punch you." I grabbed a chair and sat down in front of Santana while Brittany sat down next to her.

"I lost my cool, I've had a rough day." It was 12:43 in the afternoon, how could this be considered a _rough day_ when nothing had happened yet. She was holding something back.

"Sanni, do you want to talk about it? You should talk about your feelings so you won't lash out like that." This is the secret wisdom that I wish everyone would just try to understand. Brittany didn't wait for Santana to respond, she just wrapped her arms around her and pulled her into a hug.

I thought about Charlie was a second. Shit Charlie. Suddenly telling me she was gay. Everyone around me had lost their shit. How could Charlie do that to me? What was she thinking anyway? "Look if you're gonna be all hormonal then could you confine it to at home. Now everyone in the school thinks you've lost it."

"You can literally go fuck yourself Q." Santana said without even looking over at me. I looked down at the ground. Jesus Christ what did I ever do to anyone. I thought about changing the subject completely. How about 'Hey guys Charlie's now a giant lesbian so if you want to come over and watch _The L Word _later you can' or maybe 'Hey guys, you know who will never procreate? Charlie that's who. Cause she's now a lesbo'. Both fine examples of how to bring this up.

"Sorry for trying to have your back." I muttered under my breath.

"If you want to help Sanni you should hug her." Santana and I exchanged glares.

"No fucking thanks." Santana said. Brittany laughed because she knew we were only having one of our daily standoffs. Brittany leaned over and kissed Santana on the lips and I turned away with wide eyes. Oh my God, what on earth was that?

"What the eff." I mumbled before standing up and stomping my way out of the room. Three seconds later I heard someone running up behind me. It was Santana and she grabbed my arm to hault me.

"B's affectionate, I know you and your freaky Christian ass was uncomfortable. Where are you going?" Santana questioned.

"To put that little toad who's been following you around to back the hell off. Jesus she's like a cat in heat." Santana gripped my arm tighter.

"Quinn, wait!" I tried to turn away but Santana held me back. "Why are you trying to get in the middle of this?" Why couldn't she just let me go? I was so in the mood to tear someone down.

"Because I don't want to think about…" I didn't finish I just pulled Santana into a room where we could be alone.

"Think about what? What's going on at home?" If the roles were reversed, I'd be asking her the same questions. The only issue was, Santana would probably keep to herself, but Santana could open me up with those pleading eyes of hers. "Q, you'd better fucking tell me what's wrong."

"Charlie told me she's gay!" I said finally. I waited for the encouraging pat on the should, maybe a sarcastic laugh. But nothing came.

"Shit." She said simply as if _shit_ was going to help me feel better about this. "If you open your mouth about this to your rents I'm gonna kill you." Wait what?

"Sorry I don't think you heard me correctly. Charlie. Is. Gay." Santana rolled her eyes and placed her hands on my shoulders.

"Quinnie this is the 21st century. Gay is okay." I pushed her away from me. "Was it something I said?" She joked.

"You really don't get it do you? This is a disaster!" I shouted.

"No it's something you can't control." Santana stopped. "Are you going to stand over there and bullshit me? You gonna pretend like you'll ever stop loving your sister for something as dumb as this? Go ahead, but you're better than that Quinn."

"Everyone thinks that-."

"Nope, everyone knows that you can't stand to have things go wrong. You want your world to be perfect, everyone acting like they always had…but Quinn you're getting older and guess what? I'm getting older too. We change and if that's a problem then you're screwed." I wished I had just talked to Brittany about this. She'd understand my frustration not criticize it.

"So now I can't just be mad about something? It's part of this controlling complex that I have. It isn't fair that I can't feel something okay? If everyone else gets to feel then why can't I?" I questioned irritated.

"Because if you were feeling right now then you wouldn't be mad at your sister. You'd be mad at yourself for even thinking that you could ever hate her."

…...

Santana's POV

I found her waiting in front of the school. She was in her usual spot, in her usual _patiently waiting there _mood. I thought about walking past her, just ignoring her and going home. Today was the one day of the week that I was supposed to be home on time. Mi abuela is coming over tonight and I was supposed to be there on time so that we could all sit down and pretend we had a perfect family.

I liked the idea of pretending. It was what I had to do everyday anyway.

I stopped beside Rachel. I had my duffle bag in my hand and I dropped it to the ground. It was dramatic and unnecessary, but it caught Rachel's attention. Truth be told I sort of wanted Rachel to apologize to me, but I know that would never happen. I was the one who blew up and I should be the one feeling guilty right now.

"Should I call security?" Rachel joked as she finally turned and looked at me. I tried to conceal the smile forming on my lips, but I couldn't. Somehow I knew she would make light of this situation.

"No need, I think I can control my temper." I assured her. "I don't usually act like that." I added.

"Well then why _did_ you act like that?" That was a good question. I couldn't just tell her that I got pissed because she'd called me stupid, that was a long story and she did not have to know it, but I also couldn't just leave it at that. She would think I'm some sort of freak, which I sort of am, but she would also ask more questions.

"It's Quinn." She was an easy girl to blame. I mean sure she's my bestie, but you could basically blame her for any bad mood. "We had a fight; I guess I projected it on you." She didn't believe me, she outright didn't believe me, and I had no idea how I could explain things to her. "Tomorrow I'll go out and buy you lunch."

"Only seniors are allowed to go off campus." Rachel said as if I didn't know we were only sophomores.

"I know." I smirked and Rachel eyed me curiously. I could see her mind racing and I could practically hear her heart beating. "How old are you?" I asked her, wondering why I'd always caught her waiting for her father to pick her up.

"Almost 16." She said with a smile.

"_Hold on to 16 for as long as you can_." I muttered thinking back to the only John Mellencamp song I knew. "Do you know how to drive yet?" I asked twirling my keys around.

"I have my temps…but I'm not very good at maneuverability." She explained.

"I can teach you." I said with a sweet smile. "If you want." I added as an afterthought.

"What makes you think that I'd want someone like you teaching me how to drive? I think I'd want someone who's…qualified." I reached into my pocket and pulled out my wallet. I showed her my license.

"This makes me qualified." I told her. "You don't trust many people do you?"

"Can you blame me?" She asked shaking her head. "I'm an only child; I've grown up not trusting anyone except my parents. But you understand too, right? Since you're an only child." I looked away and wondered how far her dad was from the school now.

"I'm not an only child." I said plainly. Unfortunately for me I know that Rachel wasn't just going to take that and go. "I have a sister…she's older off in college…she got-." _Away. _I looked down at her backpack and noticed a few books that she'd taken out from the library. Two books to be exact. "What are those?" I asked nodding towards them.

"I've found a sudden interest in Jainism and Buddhism; I just like to know my facts before I get into things." I didn't want to get close to Rachel, but the closer I got the more I wanted to know about her. I mean, seriously, she was absolutely fascinating.

"Trying to reach Nirvana are we?"

"You're full of knowledge. I'd love to pick apart that brain of yours." I lifted up my duffle bag and flung it over my shoulder.

"I'd like to see what you'd get out of me." I joked thinking back to how much Quinn tried to figure out about me. Rachel was going to get nowhere. "I mean I'd like to see you try."

"Everyone underestimates me." Rachel said with a pout.

"It's because you're kinda…well…sorta like a shrimp." Rachel nudged me hard in the ribs. "Oh come on it's a pretty common known fact. You're short and you should be proud of that." It was hard not to laugh and Rachel was not in any way appreciating my jokes.

"I did karate for six years, don't mess with me." I walked over and stood directly in front of her. I wrapped my hand around her bicep and squeezed. Toned but not muscular. I smiled.

"Black belt in Taekwondo and Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu. You wouldn't stand a chance." I assured her before I let go. She tried to reach out and touch my arm but I pulled away. I wasn't in the mood to be touched, not by anyone. "Don't be intimidated I won't hurt you."

"Strange how people make promises they can't keep."

I thought about responding to her. Telling her that there was a whole world out there that she would never understand. That promises are meant to be broken that was the whole point of basic humanity. "People do strange things."

…...

Charlie's POV

I was having a staring contest with Santana. Her dark brown orbs were staring right through me and it didn't help that I was just as competitive as she is. We'd been going for three minutes and it didn't look like either of us were going to let up soon. It wasn't until Santana raised one eyebrow that I flinched and subsequently blinked. "God fucking dammit!" I yelled as Santana laughed and pushed me down on my bed.

"Now go make me a sandwich bitch." This was the problem with betting Santana anything. If she won she'd boast and she never lost, so that left the rest of us in the position that I was currently in. At least all I had to do was make her a sandwich, I lucked out because last time I'd lost 23 dollars. "That's right Char Char! Go to the kitchen where you belong and put those hands to good use." This was another problem with having a girl's night in. Santana would always come straight over but Quinn and Brittany would usually go out and get the food. Brittany insisted that she had to inspect her food before they left the place that was serving it, something about hazardous broccoli.

"You're lookin to get bitch slapped San." I warned her as I pulled myself up to my feet. "Why are you going to eat a sandwich when Quinn and Brittany are bringing home food? They'll be back in like 20 minutes." Santana pondered for a second, never letting her smirk leave her face.

"Good point; you can make me a sandwich tomorrow." She offered up, but I knew it wasn't up for bargaining. I got up, walked over to my record player, put on my Queen A Night at the Opera LP, and toned down the music so that I could still hear Santana speak. I took off my leather jacket and tossed it on my bed next to Santana. "You know you aren't really so awful." I looked over at my shoulder and glared at her.

"Thanks." I grumbled.

"No I mean you're cute. Like in this weird punk kind of way. Girls are gonna be all over you." I tensed, what did she just say? "Relax, Quinn squealed on your ass, but it's not like I didn't know before. I'm not blind…or an idiot." I walked over and sat down next to Santana on my bed.

"I figured you'd react just like Quinn." I told her honestly.

"That's insulting." Santana interjected. "And besides what do I care? I've got two people to worry about in this world. Quinn and Britt, you just happen to be the sideshow." I rolled my eyes. "As part as your embarrassing loss, due to my epic skill, I'd like you to fetch me a drink. And by drink I mean a cold one, I know your dad stashes his beer in that weird compartment in the refrigerator." She snapped her fingers twice. "Snap snap princess."

"Alright I'll be back in a second." I heard the garage door open and I knew Quinn was home. I went straight to the refrigerator and pulled out two beers. Just then Quinn and Brittany came into the house holding boxes of food from _Sir Woks Chinese Palace_.

"Hi Charlie." Brittany said taking the food from Quinn and running upstairs. Quinn eyed me suspiciously and frowned.

"Yeah, hi Charlie…now explain why you have two beers in your hands." Quinn could be so forward sometimes. She didn't really leave much room for suspense.

"San asked for one and I wanted in, do you want one Quinnie?" I asked opened the refrigerator door again.

"So you and San were here…alone?" I waited for the real question. "Was the door closed?" I scuffed and tried to walk past her but she stopped me with a finger square in the middle of my chest.

"You really think I would try something with her?"

"I dunno. I thought you were a Christian, I also thought you were straight…kinda crazy how things are." I pushed Quinn's hand away from me. "San's my best friend okay, so don't you dare."

"We shouldn't talk about this if all we're going to do is argue about it. You seem to be forgetting the cardinal rule of the Fabrays." I reminded her.

"And what rule is that?" Quinn sassed back.

"_If you don't talk about it, it doesn't exist_."

**Review Please. Feedback is always welcome and encouraged.**


	15. The Gospel According to Brittany

**I really enjoyed writing this chapter. There's some angst at the end, but unexpectedly there's some Charlie and Brittany interaction. I hope you guys enjoy this chapter.**

Quinn's POV

This was the problem with driving two stoned teenagers to the _Lima Bean_ at 10:30 at night. People liked their coffee and people liked to get their fix late, which meant that unfortunately for us, there were actually people here. Even though I told Charlie and Santana to wait in the car while I got their coffee, they followed me in and I was way to lazy to even try and protest.

Charlie walked in first and she looked up at the lights until I pushed her forward and towards the line of people. I've seen them high before, actually I've seen them high so many times it's almost strange seeing them sober, but this time was different. Usually they just want to sit around and eat popcorn, they've never actually wanted to leave the house and get coffee.

Santana was staring at the boy behind the cash register but I couldn't see close enough to know who it was. "What are you looking at?" I asked nudging her out of her trance. I found that hitting them every once in awhile kept them focused.

"Nothing…" Santana lied before turning to Charlie. "We should've brought Britt! She was so pissed at us! Why was she so mad?" I opened my mouth to say something incredibly sarcastic but then I realized in their current state they probably wouldn't get it. I laughed to myself when Santana started pouting about Brittany and then Charlie nudged me.

"Next please!" I hadn't realized that we'd reached the front of the line, not until that irritated voice rang in my ears. I turned only to be faced with an annoyed looking Kurt Hummel. For a second we starred at one another, looks of confusion and wonder planted on our faces, and then he opened his mouth again. "Can I get you something or what?" I thought about asking for his manager, because the rudeness was completely unnecessary, but then I realized, wait it actually was.

I treated him like shit when he went to our school. Calling him names laughing when he got slushied, I couldn't help but feel like I was part of the reason he decided to leave. No wait, I take that back, I was probably most of the reason he decided to leave. I'd hurt him and I could see it in his eyes and I wish I could apologize, but I could never try that I could never face him one on one again.

Ironic isn't it? How I made his life hell for being gay, and here I was standing next to my sister who just told me she was gay. Karma has a way of getting right under your skin. "Kurt! I haven't seen you since last years winter formal!" I wondered if Charlie was saying that because she was high or if she actually did see him last year. I mean, stoners don't make up stuff randomly, do they?

"Charlie Fabray, it's a pleasure seeing you again. And trust me I have fond memories of that night, including you spiking the punch." Of course! Dalton and St. Mary's were brother and sister schools. Whenever they had dances, they would team up together. That must be how they're giving one another these sweet little smiles right now. "I can hardly see how you two are related." He said eyeing me.

"Oh burn Quinn!" Santana shouted laughing and reaching up her hand to high five Kurt. He gave her a high five and laughed along with her for a moment before composing himself. "Hey can I have four double chocolate chip chocolate cookies and two shots of double espresso put into my large hot chocolate. Thanks." Santana did even wait for me to explain to her how crazy it was to consume that much sugar at one time while she was high. She was already walking over and sitting down at a table.

"Oh and can I have the same except minus 2 cookies and plus one shot of espresso. Thanks you're a doll." This time I tried to reach out and grab my sister but she wiggled out of my grasp and sat down across from Santana at the table. I let out a frustrated sigh and paid for them, getting a small coffee for myself.

"I'm sorry." I said trying to apologize for Santana and Charlie's behavior, but then I realized it actually sounded like I was saying I was sorry for being mean to him before. I had to stop him from thinking that. It would be awful if he thought I was apologizing like this, over a quad-cup holder and a bag of cookies. "I mean I'm sorry for them." He gave me an undecipherable look.

"What else would you be sorry for?" It sounded like a trick question, but he said it so subtly that I knew it wasn't.

"A lot." I said it so quickly and quietly that I hoped he didn't hear me and even if he did I grabbed the coffee and cookies and left before he could reply. Santana snatched the bag out of my hand and grabbed her coffee too. Charlie was more gentle about grabbing her things but she still was acting funny. "Did she take uppers or something? I thought you two were the downer type."

"We are…I dunno San found some pills stashed away in my room. They'll wear off soon." Santana began laughing about her cookie or something and I looked around the place wondering how obvious it was that she was high. No one really paid us any attention, not until I saw a familiar looking brunette enter and then I knew we were in for some attention now.

Maybe she'd just go up to the counter, order, and turn around to leave. That could happen. And that did happen up until Kurt nodded over in our direction, Rachel caught my eye, and Rachel took her coffee and walked right over to our table. Thanks a lot Kurt Hummel.

"Odd seeing you guys here on a Friday night." The cheerfulness of her voice made me want to gag, but instead Santana patted the seat next to her and Rachel sat down. "Isn't there usually a party or something?"

"These stoners wanted coffee and cookies." I said nudging Charlie because I could see her drifting off to sleep. Rachel looked at me then to Charlie and then, of course, to Santana. She was smiling, sitting there with a cookie in her hand and smiling for no God damn reason.

"Is she okay?" Rachel asked referring to Santana who was looking at her strangely.

"She probably took too many uppers or something. I dunno, she's fine." Rachel didn't look convinced and I didn't care. I was done with freaks like her invading my life. She needed to go away, now. "What about you? Shouldn't you be out on a hot date or something?" I could see the resentment in her eyes, the way they flickered with anger and then she looked over at Santana with worry.

"You've got a date? Why are you here then?" Santana sounded like an idiot when she was stoned, but I loved the way Rachel squirmed it was entertaining to watch.

"I don't have a date Santana, Quinn was just joking." Rachel explained to Santana who cocked her head to the side.

"Oh." Santana said looking over at me. "Why'd you joke about that?"

"Because she's a snobby brat." Charlie interjected. "Rachel it's late, what are you doing out here?"

"My dad dropped me off, I'm waiting for Kurt's shift to be over and then we're going to have a sleepover." Listening to her talk about her life made me want to drown myself. How could anyone be this lame? "Where's Brittany?" Rachel asked as if she was entitled to know.

"She's taking a nap; she looks so cute in her duck pajamas. You should see her." Santana said leaning back in her chair. "I bought her pjs for her, they cost 27.98 plus tax." At some point, I was just going to punch Santana to put us all out of our misery. She was acting so weird and I hoped to God that she'd never take whatever pills Charlie had, ever again.

"That was very nice of you." Rachel said as if she was unsure as to how to respond.

"I'm gonna go out for a smoke." Santana said reaching in her pocket for her pack of cigarettes, but all she pulled out was a stick of gum and a lighter. "Shit." She said looking directly at Charlie.

"Fine." Charlie handed her a cigarette and Santana grinned before beginning to walk towards the door. I stood up and followed her, but not without looking over at Rachel and Charlie. I stopped and turned to face them.

"Could you keep her company?" I know I know, it was weird making a request like that to someone I despised so much, but I didn't want Charlie walking off somewhere. Rachel nodded and in that moment we reached an agreement, I could never hurt her like I'd hurt Kurt if she never hurt me like I was hurting now. She didn't know the agreement, but she didn't have to, it was there and it was real.

I found Santana sitting on the curb right next to the drivethru, that was now closed. She was smoking quietly and slowly and I admired my friend for a moment before sitting down next to her. "I'm thinking of quitting Cheerios." It was the only rational thing she'd said all night, but it was also the most irrational.

"How about saying that when you're sober then I'll be sure that you're crazy." I said wrapping my arm protectively around her waist.

"I'm serious Q." She said quietly.

"Part of you still wants it. You still want to be there. You love it, I know you do." She turned away and exhaled the smoke so that it wouldn't get into my eyes. This created a small distance between us. I pulled her back closer to me.

"I don't know if I ever did…I don't even know why I started in the first place." Suddenly I wondered how she'd gotten sober so quickly. It must be from thinking so deeply, like she was right this very moment.

"You started because of B-."

"Nope, I started because of you." I looked over at her, noticing how the light from her cigarette was just about the only flicker of light I could see right now. "Brittany was part of the reason. I thought she'd need help sometimes, but she's a great athlete and she could handle it, but I wasn't sure about you."

"What do you mean? I could take care of myself."

"That's what I thought until I heard Maya Ford call you fat and saw this look in your eyes and that let me know that if I let you try this alone then you'd end up shoving your fingers down your throat and eating almonds for dinner. I couldn't let that happen." I thought back to that summer. The summer before high school. I was Lucy back then and our parents had just decided that we should go to McKinley. I wanted to change, to make a big difference before I started. A new life really.

"I wouldn't have done that." But that was a lie. I would've done that and it wouldn't have bothered me. I would've done anything to become popular. "Besides I really thought you liked cheering. You always seemed happy about it before."

"My parents don't like it." She said tapping the top of the cigarette and letting the ashes fall to the ground. "My grades aren't good enough for them and neither am I." I reached over, took the cigarette out of her hand, and took a drag myself. I coughed as the smoke filled my lungs and as I was covering my mouth, I handed back the cigarette.

"You can't quit because I need you." It was a stupid thing to say. It's not like it really mattered that I needed her and it sure as hell shouldn't have been my only response. It opened me up, needing something made me vulnerable, it made me weak, but Santana accepted it and she crushed her cigarette on the asphalt signifying the end of the conversation.

"The drugs are wearing off." She said rubbing her head. "Can we get the fuck outta here? I'm getting bad vibes."

"Your pet's in there, do you want to say goodbye to her?" I figured since Rachel was watching Charlie I at least owed her something in return.

"Nah, I'll just wait in the car." She said pulling out her phone and texting Charlie. Telling her we were leaving and to grab her cookies. "Charlie's coming, let's go home."

…

Charlie's POV

I handed her a piece of bread. The end piece to be exact. The most neglected piece of food besides orange peels. She took it out of my hand and began picking it apart, rolling the little pieces into round bits, and tossing them to the pigeons. I watched her curiously for a moment, wondering if she ever went to the park like this alone. My guess was that she did, with the way she navigated effortlessly.

She pulled her hood up on her head and glanced over at me with a smile. "Come on Charlie, you have to feed them too otherwise they won't love you as much." I smiled and mirrored Brittany's actions of feeding the birds. I never told anyone but when I was 8, my mom took me to a park similar to this one. I went around feeding the birds. I went into a whole herd of them trying to chase them away. One of the birds flew right past my back, and somehow it's beak cut me. I wasn't afraid of birds after that, I was jealous of them. Sometimes I wish I could just fly away like that, when things got rough. Just stop everything and fly away.

"Do you think Quinn and Santana are going to worry about where we are when they get up?" I asked Brittany who shook her head no.

"I wrote them a note. _Out feeding birds love B and Charlie_. Plus they won't be up for another few hours, it's early." Brittany was probably right. Santana and Quinn stayed up talking pretty late last night and it was only 6:30 in the morning. I could've been sleeping too I guess, but Brittany would've come to the park with out without me and I could use the fresh air.

"Britt, do you think it's weird if someone has two moms or two dads?" I asked as I lifted my foot up and tried to wipe the gum off the bottom with a leaf. "I mean like do you think they'd turn out weird or something?"

"Well my mom makes me cookies and my dad plays baseball. So maybe they'd like have double the cookies or get to go to double the baseball games. That doesn't sound bad." I wish my hands were free because if they were I would've grabbed Brittany and hugged her. She looked at the world the right way and it was beautiful how she pictured things.

"So it doesn't bother you, not at all?" I questioned.

"Love is fun, so everybody should be able to have fun." Brittany said tossing the rest of her bread to the pigeons. "Are you in love with someone? Someone who is a girl? Because if you are then I don't care…you should be happy too." _The Gospel According to Brittany S. Pierce_, that should be the title of her book. Her words touched me deeply because I never had to think to understand Brittany.

"I don't know Britt. Aren't only old people supposed to be in love?" I asked her. We sat down together on a bench. Brittany took my hand, just like it was something so natural to her. She must go here with Santana a lot.

"Yeah but kids our age aren't supposed to drink but we do anyway, so I guess rules like that don't mean anything. Can I touch your hair?" I smiled and scooted closer to Brittany as she ran her hands through my hair. "Why did you leave McKinley High? Didn't you like the people there?" I assumed that Quinn or Santana had never told anyone about why exactly I got expelled. And the only other person who knew was Puck and the jocks that were there.

"That Dave Karofsky prick beat up Kurt. He beat the shit out of him and I don't know…I had my pocket knife with me, I brought it out…I really thought about using it. A teacher saw me; I got kicked out for it." Brittany nodded her head like she understood but I don't think she understood the violence behind it. Brittany never understood things that had to do with violence.

"So would you have used it? I mean if the teacher didn't stop you." I looked into her eyes. Beautiful blues, sparkling with hope and anticipation.

"I was too afraid to, so no, no I wouldn't have." I felt like if I could be honest with anyone it would be Brittany. She didn't judge me because she couldn't judge anyone. "But I thought about it. I still think about it."

"But that would be like playing God." Brittany said resting her head on my shoulder. "Does God exist?"

"I don't know Britt; I think everyone has to find that out for themselves." I explained to her. "But I think the most important thing is that you believe in yourself first."

"I do believe in myself." She said. "I believe in you too." I fought back the tears that were threatening to fall.

"Sometimes I wish…" I didn't finish what I had to say and I wanted Brittany to just ignore me but she didn't. She lifted her head up and brushed the hair away from my face.

"You wish what Charlie?"

_That I'd fallen for you instead._

…

Rachel's POV

I picked up the box and placed it on the empty bed. This was all there was. All that was left. How unbearably depressing to know that Ms. Roberts lived to be 93 and all it came down to was this box. I thought about looking inside, I was curious, but I don't know if I was suppose to.

Ms. Roberts was dead and her whole life was defined by this box? It just doesn't make sense to me. I lifted a flap on the box and pulled out a book. _Ain't I a Woman? _It was a collection of poems written by women. Inspiring, I thought to myself.

The door creaked open and I quickly returned the book to it's spot in the box and turned to see who it was. "Oh hi Santana." I said in relief. "I thought you were someone else."

"Were you hoping for someone else?" She didn't expect a response so I just kept my mouth shut. She walked over and looked over my shoulder at the box. "What's this?"

"What's left of Ms. Roberts's things. She passed away yesterday and her son said to just toss everything she owned. He never even came to visit her." Santana sensed my anger because she reached her left hand around my body, gripped the bed in front of me, and used her right had to look through the things in the box. She was doing this mindlessly while my heart felt like it was going to explode. She pulled out a dream catcher and back away from me. "That's beautiful, I wonder if it's hand made?"

"It is." Santana said with such certainty that I didn't even question her. "When I was younger my tia took me to this Native American reservation. This girl gave me one of these, but my dad found it and threw it away…do you think I can have this? I mean if you guys were going to throw her stuff away anyway."

"I don't see why not." Santana smiled and walked over to where her duffle bag was on the floor and she put the dream catcher into it. "I've seen a lot of things in hospitals, but nothing quite gets you like death." Santana nodded and sat down on the bed, with her feet dangling just above the ground.

"I died once." It took me about ten seconds to actual register what she'd said and then ten more to figure out how to tell her she was crazy.

"Santana, that doesn't even make sense." I informed her.

"I know." She said looking down at the box. "But when I was ten I jumped into this lake with all my clothes on and my shoelace got caught and I couldn't get out. Apparently, Brittany dove in and pulled me up, the doctors said I died for three minutes, but it didn't feel like that. I don't know." I stared at her in awe; I wonder how that felt, or what she saw.

"So Brittany saved your life?" Santana smiled and nodded. "Your parents must have been terrified." I added thinking of my overprotective fathers.

"They grounded me when I got home. I wasn't supposed to be by the lake. They really didn't care." She was wrong. There was no way her parents didn't care. "So how'd this lady kick the bucket? Judging by this photo of her from the 1930s she just died of old age."

"Yes, she was 93, nothing but old age." I said staring at the box.

"What a lame way to go." Santana scuffed. "I wish everyone could just choose their way to go. Like drowning would have been badass for me."

"If everyone wanted to choose then it'd be like suicide." I informed her.

"Yeah well I tried that once and it wasn't fun." She tried to reach her hand into the box again but I smack it away. "Ow! Jeez, if you wanted the stuff you can have it."

"You just told me you tried to kill yourself, you'd better start speaking now or I'll go get my father. He knows plenty of psychiatrists-." Santana cut me off.

"I was thirteen and my dog Toby had just died. He was thirteen too. I thought that if he had to go then so should I. I closed my garage door and turned on my dad's car, I saw some kid off himself that way on a _Lifetime _movie, but my mom caught me and pulled my ass out of the car so quickly. She took a belt and tied my hands together. She didn't let me leave her side for a week." She told me the story like it was a fond memory, like now things were so much worse for her, and that worried me.

"Didn't you think about the people you would have left on the earth?" I asked her.

"I didn't, not in the moment at least. I didn't even think about writing a cool suicide note, like Kurt Cobain or something." She looked down at her hands and then laughed. "I told Quinn like a week later when my mom finally let me leave her sight. She punched me so hard she actually broke my nose. She told me I was the biggest idiot in the world for even thinking about doing it, and that she'd kill me first if I ever thought about it again."

"She was right." I told Santana. "I'll punch you too if you ever think about something like that again." I threatened.

"_Hit me with your best shot_ dollface." I smiled and so did she.

"Pat Benatar. You're a 80s music geek." I said with a laugh.

"No just a geek."

"You might not want to say that out loud…I'm wired." I joked. Santana's eyes roamed down to my torso as if she was making sure it was only a joke. "You still owe me that lunch." I said cocking an eyebrow.

"Grace's Vegan Hut. It's this cute corner restaurant just past the outlet mall." I couldn't believe she'd actually been thinking about it, let alone that she already had a place picked out. I was slowly reaching swooning mode. Santana hopped off the bed and grabbed her duffle bag. "Gotta go though. Brittany has a dance recital." I nodded and smiled when she did. "The doctor. The guy who brought me back to life when I was ten…"

"What about him?" I asked curiously.

"Nothing except his name was Leroy Berry."

**Review Please.**


	16. Never Been Kissed

**This chapter reveals a first for Quinn and Rachel, two very different firsts, but still. Enjoy.**

Quinn's POV

"Hey dwarf what's issue?" I didn't really want to talk to her, but she was clutching her phone in her hand and for a second I thought she was just going to burst out and cry. I wondered how long she'd been there, sitting on the front steps of the school like that. Santana must not have seen her yet or maybe Santana was already gone, because she would never leave her out here like this. "Did something happen?"

She looked up at me and then, for a second, I could see why Santana didn't ridicule her. I could see this look in her eyes that was so welcoming that it hurt me to think that I could ever make her feel guarded. "If you're here to make fun of me then please just go away." I was insulted for a second and then I was ashamed. I took a seat next to her on the steps.

"I'm not…I mean I won't. Not when you look like someone just ran over your dog." She looked down at her hands and clenched them together.

"My dad isn't coming to the parent teacher conference tomorrow." I gave her a look of disbelief and seriously considered just standing up, smacking her, and walking away. Was that seriously it? Was she actually that upset over this? That had to be the stupidest thing I've ever heard and Brittany has said some pretty dumb things before.

"You've got to be shitting me." I said.

"No I'm not." She replied giving me a concealed glare.

"You're pissed because your dad can't go to some dumb parent teacher conference? I don't get it, don't you have like two of those. Just have dad number two come." She scuffed as if what I'd said was preposterous. Maybe it came out wrong, but forgive me for living in Lima, Ohio. We don't actually get a lot of families with two dads.

"He doesn't usually miss things like this. It's his new job…I just miss him sometimes." Oh cry me a river. It could be a lot worse.

"Well he obviously works hard to help support your family so you should be grateful. Trust me when I say this, he doesn't want to hurt you he just loves you too much to see you hurt." Rachel looked into my eyes and I immediately looked away. What the hell was I doing?

"It sort of sounds like you've got first hand experience with this." Rachel said tentatively.

"For the past year I've been hearing these sounds in the middle of the night. Footsteps going downstairs, the refrigerator opening, and the gentle clang of glass. Every single night I hear that. One night a few months ago I tiptoed downstairs to see what was going on." Rachel nodded and seemingly encouraged me to go on. "It was my mom. Drinking herself to sleep."

"Did you confront her about this?" I laughed at the thought of ever confronting my mother.

"No, but I told Charlie. Charlie already knew." Rachel looked confused so I continued. "I understood why my mom was drinking. She doesn't have a job and her only purpose really is to cook and clean in the house. She felt trapped that makes sense but…I wasn't mad at her. I was mad at Charlie until I realized why she'd kept it a secret. She thought it would hurt me if I found out. She'd have done anything not to see me get hurt."

"That was sweet of her-."

"No it was stupid of her because I still ended up getting hurt. She was too busy trying not to hurt me that she didn't even realize that she was. Which is the point. Your dad is doing what Charlie did." Rachel gives me this look like I'd opened up the whole world for her and it almost made me sick. "Stop looking at me like that." I demanded.

"I can't help it; you're sweet when you're not tormenting me." I rolled my eyes. Se this is what I get for being nice for once.

"Don't let it get to your head. And besides I wouldn't be mean to you if you just backed off my best friend." It was true. I didn't even know Rachel existed until a month ago.

"Why do you care so much if I'm friends with her?" She asked.

"Because…" I had to stop and compose myself. Angry tears were not a good look for me. "I'd rather her not drown her reputation in the depths of your lameness."

"That's not the reason." She said defiantly. "You think I'm going to take away your best friend."

"Okay sure, maybe that's the reason." I said avoiding eye contact. "You don't have the right to just waltz in here and try and destroy a friendship this strong. It's just not fair." I informed her.

"I wouldn't dream of destroying anything. She's your rock, anyone with eyes can see that, but you also don't have the right to control her." There it was that control thing again. I was getting really fucking tired of this.

"If you had friends you'd understand where I'm coming from." I said standing up and pulling my bag over my shoulder. This was the perfect time to just walk away. I'd gotten the last word in. The last insult to be exact.

"At first I thought you insulted me because other people were around. That you wanted to show how powerful you were. But now I see what it really is, you don't bully people to show off, this is all for yourself." I turned around and looked at her, wondering how many times she's Google searched Sigmund Freud and thought about psychology. "How can you hurt people for your own enjoyment? That's twisted if you ask me." I was halfway across the parking lot when I turned on my heels and faced her again.

"Well no one asked you Berry." I said with that anger of dominance in my voice once again. She didn't understand how power felt and that was her real problem. If she were in my shoes, she'd be doing the exact same thing.

"Why do you hate me so much?"

"Listen you don't get to steal away my best friend. She's been there for me, she beat up Troy Howard for calling me a fat prude in sixth grade. So whatever, you pissed me off most of the time, but I don't hate you." _I hate what I see in you_.

"You don't?" She asked standing up and taking a step towards me.

"No, and I never did." Every time I looked at her I saw myself. I saw Lucy. This scared little girl alone and nothing to anyone around her. And then she goes and befriends Santana, just like I had years ago, but I couldn't let her do that. She couldn't follow the same path like I had because I am miserable. I look different, but I'm still the same, and the only thing keeping me sane is Santana. If she takes my friend away then she's taking away my heart.

Rachel Berry was no Lucy Fabray, and I had to protect her from becoming me.

…

Santana's POV

"Did you hear?" I nearly knocked my head on the window behind me. I was in the library listening to music, with my eyes closed and just barley awake when Puck scooted beside me with a grin on his face.

"Did I hear what?" I asked taking off my headphones and using my hand to push him away to create more space between us. Puck was an alright guy but he needed to back the hell up.

"Someone was at Breadsticks yesterday and they saw big man Dave K on a date." Puck exclaimed like it was the biggest revelation ever.

"Good for him, he got some ass what's your point?" I asked already getting bored.

"Dude was on a date with another dude." I slammed the my hand against Puck's chest and got a firm grip on his shirt. I pulled him close to me and glared right through him. He didn't even laugh.

"Bullshit…I don't believe that." I said letting go of him. "He was the one who gave Kurt so much shit last year. You're telling me he's supposed to be gay?"

"That's the word on the street." Puck said leaning back against the window. "Ah life is good isn't it? He gave me so much shit and now he's gay! Karma is a two faced bitch!" Puck began laughing but I wasn't really in the laughing mood.

"I don't think Karma can turn someone gay…I'm actually pretty sure you can't be turned gay anyway." Puck shrugged his shoulders and grin at me. "You'd better not give him shit about that."

"Why not? He deserves it." Puck said. He ran his hand over his head, which as I'd just noticed, was mohawk free. I fought back a laugh, now he didn't look like a badass, he just looked like every other kid.

"Did you shave your head?" I asked him even though the answer was clear. He frowned and then looked over at me. "I thought it was your trademark?"

"It was. Now geeks have the cojones to look me in the eye." Puck said as if it was the biggest tragedy since the 1st World War. "I did it so I would look presentable. It's sorta for Quinn." Now it was my turn to laugh. The great Puckster pushed down to size.

"How cute!" I exclaimed pinching his cheeks. "Quinn's a hopeless romantic; she'll totally go for something as stupid as that." I assured him.

"I thought you didn't like me with Quinn." Puck interjected.

"I don't." He furrowed his eyebrows. "But I like when Quinn is happy and if you're trying to get her back and you like her that much then she can be happy. But if you hurt my girl I'll cut off your dick and feed it to you." He gulped audibly and I smiled. "Hey who's that dude who cut his hair and lost all his power?"

"Agassi?" Puck said with a tilt of his head.

"No it's Samson you dipshit." I sat up further in the seat. "I thought you were Jewish, shouldn't you know that shit?"

"Haven't been to Hebrew school in a hot minute." He said with a shrug. "Why do you know that?"

"I read." I replied. The bell rang and I didn't want to be late for my next class. "Anyway I'll see you later, I've got class, don't get into any trouble." He nodded but he didn't hear me. That's when I knew he was going to ignore me, who did I think I was talking to? Trouble was Puck's middle name.

…

When it happened I was walking down the hall with Brittany at my side. I was headed to my AP chemistry class and she was going to English. She was explaining why butterflies were better pets than birds and I was about to open my mouth to agree with her when I saw Puck slam into a locker further up the hall.

I told Brittany to wait right there and then I walked over closer, pushing through a small crowd until I could make out Puck and Dave standing face to face yelling at one another. I rolled my eyes because, really, did they actually have to have this pissing contest right now?

From the looks of things, Puck had already gotten swiped and Dave didn't have any bruises. "Stop bein a little bitch Puck. Just because you lost your hair it doesn't mean you had to lose your balls." Puck shoved him back and Dave kicked him in his bad knee. "All you're good for is football you dumb fucker. You can barely get the grades to stay on the team. Once a Lima loser always a Lima loser." That was a sore spot, and that was why when Puck pulled out the pocket knife in his back pocket, I wasn't as shocked as everyone else.

"I am _not_ a Lima loser!" Puck yelled waving the knife in front of Dave's face.

"It doesn't matter what he calls you man, dude got caught on a date with his _boyfriend_, he's got nothing on you." Finn yelled from behind Puck. And just like that, everyone's eyes went from Puck's knife, to Dave's reddened face. Point. Set. Match.

I could see a few teachers trying to push through the crowd and I ran over to Puck and snatching the knife out of his hand and putting it in my back pocket. "Okay everyone break it up and go to class." Sue said forcibly pushing a few students to get them to move. She stared between Puck and Dave and didn't say anything even though she knew they were the ones who had been fighting.

Dave ran down the hall and Finn patted Puck's shoulder telling him to come on to class, but I stopped him. "What's your deal?" I asked once most of the students had gone. "Are you an idiot or something?" He crossed his arms over his chest and turned away from me. He began walking and I followed, we didn't stop until we ended up in the empty auditorium.

"I just wanted to scare him." Puck said trying to push it behind him.

"Well I'm sure that worked, but shit…don't you remember what happened to Charlie? She did the same exact thing and she got kicked out." I reminded him.

"So what?" I wish I believed that he didn't care, that would just be too easy, but I knew Puck and I knew he wasn't just blowing off school for fun. He just didn't know how to handle it. "You're the lucky one Santana, you've got it easy." I wanted to punch him for saying that, for even thinking that he knew a damn thing about me. He didn't know how hard my life was, no one did.

"Yeah I've got it real easy." I said sarcastically. "Don't you dare stand there and claim to know a damn thing about me." I warned him.

"Look at me. The only thing I was worth was my stupid hair and now that's gone. My own dad didn't even want me. He skipped out on me when I was six. I'm cleaning pools and getting shit pay because even if I ever graduate that'll be the only thing I'm worth. I'm a stupid boy with nothing." I couldn't look at him, not in this state. I didn't want to see him so broken down, with that look in his eyes, the one that said _I've got nothing to offer anyone_. I'd seen that look too many times. I'd see it in myself too many times.

"I don't give a shit about your dad or your grades, you're making it out of this place, and so am I." Puck slumped as he sat down in one of the chairs and I watched him for a moment. I couldn't for the life of me understand what Quinn saw in him. "You want to get out of here…I _need_ to."

"What does that mean?" Puck asked.

"Nothing." I lied. "I just don't like it here." I added trying to cover up my tracks.

"Nobody does." Puck said nudging my shoulder. "Do you think that if I marry Quinn she'll take care of me?" I covered my mouth to stop a laugh from coming out.

"You two aren't getting married." I assured him.

"Why not? Because this is high school? She's my high school sweetheart." Puck said with a grin. "You don't believe in love Santana?"

"Nope." I said truthfully.

"Someone must have broken your heart then-."

"I love three people Charlie, Quinn, and Brittany. That's who I love and that's all." I explained to him. He didn't seem to buy it. "I like to keep it simple."

"You're gonna live a fucked up life Santana." He warned me.

"I already am." I replied. "I already fucking am."

…

Rachel's POV

"Your daddy apologized a million times, Rachel, please don't act this way." I tried to smile, but my father knew I couldn't fake happiness. We pulled into the school parking lot and my father turned off the car. "You really didn't have to come to this Rachel. You'll just be sitting out in the hallway waiting for me. It's going to be boring." We opened our doors and walked towards the school.

"I don't mind." I assured him as we entered the building. The lights weren't as bright as they were during the school day and there were only a few parents milling around. I didn't see any kids and that was to be expected, I just enjoyed being here with my dad, it didn't matter that I served no purpose at this moment.

"Now I'm going to be in there talking to your Spanish teacher…what was his name again?" My dad said with his hand on the doorknob.

"William Shuester." I informed him as I took a seat on the chair that was close to the room.

"That's an awful name." He said. "I'll see you in a bit baby girl." I smiled at my father and opened crossed my legs patiently waiting. I assumed that my grades were very good in Spanish, I'm the most vocal and I seem to understand things the most, but who knows.

"What on earth are you doing here?" My head jerked up just in time to see Santana walking down the hallway towards me. I smiled and it grew when I saw her in her street clothes. She must have had a change of clothes in her car or something because her practice had only ended fifteen minutes ago. She was wearing black skinny jeans, a grey long sleeve t-shirt, and a black leather jacket. The thing that caught my eye was the pink knitted beanie on her head; it even had a puffball on the top of it. "Brittany bought it for me." She said once she noticed my leering.

"I like it." I told her. "And I just like coming here with my dad. What about you?" I asked curiously.

"My father makes me come to things like this. He goes in to the rooms, comes out and tells me what a dumbass I am. Rinse and repeat." She said bitterly. I stood up and took her hand, leading towards the front doors of the school. "Where are you taking me?" She asked once I'd opened the doors.

"To avoid your father telling you that." I was about to pulled my hand away but then I thought better of it. I'd just wait for her to pull away. It didn't take long because she reached into her pocket and pulled out a cigarette and her lighter. We walked towards the field, but instead of strolling around, we just took a seat on the bleachers.

"Do you want to know what my father calls me?" Santana questioned as she lit her cigarette.

"What does he call you?" I asked. I don't know what I was expecting her to say. Maybe something like Spez or Tana, but then again something was up with her family, and it was foolish of me to think something like that. She leaned back and blew smoke straight up into the air.

"Pariah. It means outcast, you know. He just wants to show me how much I don't belong." I looked down at my feet wondering how on earth Santana didn't snap. "Lovely family, right?" Santana joked. I wish I could've laughed, but it was too depressing to even smile about.

"That's awful." I told her placing my hand gently on her knee. "You're not an outcast though. I am. I'm the one who hadn't been to a party, talked to popular girls, or even-." I stopped myself, afraid to admit what I was ashamed of. Santana stopped smoking and stomped her cigarette out on the floor.

"Even what?" She asked.

"It's embarrassing." I told her surely.

"It's just you, me, and God. I won't judge you." That's what a lot of people say when they're just trying to get something out of you, but this was different. Santana really wasn't going to judge me, I trusted her.

"I've never…I've never been kissed." Santana didn't react, she didn't react at all. I sort of wanted her to laugh, maybe just to make me feel like the loser that I am. I wondered why she didn't make me feel so lame, she made me feel human.

"Never? Not even some weird third grade kiss? That's a lie." I wish it was a lie but it wasn't.

"I told you it was embarrassing." I reminded her.

"Okay that's not a big deal I'll just kiss you." I jumped to my feet and turned away from her. Did she just offer to kiss me? That was madness. I could never ask her to do something like that, it was wrong on so many levels.

"No! You can't!" I told her gripping the railing that looked out to the football field. My grip tightened until I could feel the metal digging into my skin.

"Jeez okay I didn't realize I was that terrible." Santana said standing next to me and mirroring my motions. She took off her leather jacket and wrapped it around my shoulders. I'd been shivering for the past ten minutes, I thought she'd never notice. "Let's go back inside." She offered after about three minutes of just us standing there.

"You wouldn't think it was weird? Kissing me I mean?" I asked her.

"No, it'd be just like kissing anyone else I guess. Kissing isn't a big deal it's just-." I was about to say _just what_ when her lips pressed up against mine. My back was pressed up against the railing but I didn't mind feeling the weight and warmth of her body against mine. Her lips were soft and tasted like tangerines and Gatorade and I could not for the life of me figure out what sort of lotion she had on. It was a mix of vanilla and brown sugar and I wished I could be this close to her forever. "And that's all too it. People make a big deal out of it, but it's just simple." I wish I had the guts to tell her to shut up and kiss me again, but all I could do was stare at her. From her eyes to her lips and then back again.

"You talk too much." I blurted out.

"I talk too much? That's rude of you to say especially after I gave you your first kiss. It's a bond you know, I'll always be the person who gave you your first taste of desire." Santana said playfully wiggling her eyebrows at me. "Oh come on, would you smile or something? Did I break you?"

"No, it just felt different than I expected." I tried explaining.

"Do me and the whole world a favor and never use the word _different_ to describe something. That's the most insulting thing you can say to someone." Santana said kicking a pebble across the bleachers. "I would like a high five or something, because you're a changed woman Rachel Berry, you're gonna go in there and your dad won't even recognize you."

"Oh shut up." I said lightheartedly. Santana laughed and so did I, and between our laughter and smiles I never got a chance to tell her how much I wanted to kiss her again.


	17. Now or Never

**A huge moment for Charlie is in this chapter. I hope you guys enjoy this one. Review.**

Santana's POV

"An A- in English? Do you think that's even close to good enough?" I decided not to answer my father. We were in the kitchen, with lots of knives, I thought better of it. I could keep silent through this whole conversation if I wanted to, it wasn't like he cared much for my opinion. "English is the easy class; no daughter of mine is going to get an A- in it. Are you sleeping through the class?"

"No." I muttered reaching above the refrigerator and grabbing a box of granola cereal. After the parent teacher conferences last night, my father didn't say a word to me, now that it was morning he seems to have gathered what he was going to say. "I work hard in the class-."

"Apparently not hard enough." He snapped. I flinched but tried my best not to falter. "Do you think this is a joke? That school is just some big parade?"

"No." I said looking him in his eyes. "I've put everything into school-."

"I hate liars." He said slamming his hand down on the countertop. "I want you to quit cheerleading and focus on school. This isn't up for discussion." I put the granola back, crossed my arms over my chest, and fumed. He wasn't going to take cheerleading away from me, it was the only thing I had as an outlet.

"You want an A+ in English I'll do it. Just give me till the semester is over, I swear it, it'll be done." I was hoping for an ounce of trust from him, just this once. If I'd learned anything about this family it was that trust had to be earned through proving something. I've proved myself a million times, what else can I do?

"Don't disappoint me." It wasn't just a yes or a no, it was a challenge, it was almost a threat. My father poured himself a cup of coffee as I packed my backpack on the kitchen table. I assumed my mother had already left for work, which irritated me just a hair more. I didn't like being here with just my father, the tension was always unbearable. "I talked to Dr. Berry a few days ago; he says his daughter talks about you a lot."

"Is that so?" I said with a clueless nonchalant stance, afraid that if I answered him directly I might upset him.

"Sounds like you and his daughter are friends."

"I don't know where she got that idea." I said trying to ignore the topic. Rachel and I were acquaintances at best. I mean I didn't invite her to sleepovers, I didn't smoke weed with her, we kissed once and we talk sometimes. That's it.

"Do you think I'm an idiot?" He asked taking a few steps towards me. God how I wanted to sarcastically shout out _is that rhetorical _but I knew I couldn't. Sometimes it killed me to stay silent at times like this because I knew I could go head to head with him. I could hold my own with anyone, but sometimes it's not worth the fight. "Answer the damn question!"

"I don't think-."

"That's right you _don't think_, you don't think and it gets you into trouble. I've told you a million times to think about who you associate with. You're popular and you've got friends like those Fabray girls and you choose to defy me and become friends with some Jew with two faggot fathers. Are you trying to embarrass me?" Of course I wasn't, but I didn't care half as much about our families reputation than my father did. I wish I had the guts to tell him that this is the 21st century, people's mindsets have changed, but apparently, his hadn't.

"Why are you calling Dr. Berry that? He's the one who saved my life." My father stood there and stared at me for a second as if to say _so what_, that's just a minor detail.

"I'm starting to think that was an accident on his part." My father retorted angrily. I wish he meant it, I wish he'd just admit that he hated me that much, but he looked down at his shoes and shook his head. "You just don't understand the way things work and you will when you grow up. Now please stay away from them."

"We live in the same town, we go to the same school, we're bound to cross paths sometimes, dad. Don't make this a big deal when it doesn't have to be. I'll keep my distance." I assured him even though I had no intention of it. "I should get going."

"You're too hot blooded for your own good, just listen to what I say and everything will be alright. You defy me and then we'll have a problem." A _problem_? It's more than a problem when there's this much disconnection in one household. I just wanted to run. Or puke. He generally made me despise being in the same room with him.

"I'm going to go." I didn't wait for his response, I didn't need to. When I was younger I used to think he'd change, I used to pray about it actually, but now I know. He's been the same man for 16 years, if I wanted change, I shouldn't hold my breath.

…...

"I really hope this works." Brittany said clasping her hands together and watching the chemicals mix together. Quinn and Brittany weren't able to finish their lab yesterday so they enlisted the assistance of me to help them out. Of course, by help, I actually mean do the whole lab for them, but I didn't mind. I was doing it for Brittany mostly, because she actually enjoyed Chemistry, Quinn couldn't care less.

We were in the room by ourselves. Sue had canceled practice, something about her ridiculous news segment _Sue's Corner_, so we had enough time to work on this after school.

"You know what they say about hope, it breads eternal misery." I muttered leaning my head on my hand and staring at the beaker.

"90s teen angst much." Quinn mumbled as she looked at me. "You want me to break some glass so you can slit your wrists?" She joked halfheartedly. I didn't look at her I just kept my eyes on the beaker.

"Quinn! Why would you say that to Sanni? That's so mean!" Brittany said scolding Quinn.

"I wasn't serious B; I was just trying to snap her out of it. She's been acting weird and depressing all day. It's like walking around with a suicidal sloth. I think she might be broken." Quinn said poking me in the side.

"_She's _sitting right here." I said unsure if Quinn actually knew that she was talking about me right in front of me. Quinn patted my back before grabbing my hand and yanking it out from under my head. I smacked my head hard against the hard marble table and winced in pain. "Tha fuck Q?" Quinn laughed and rushed over to the other side of the room using Brittany as a buffer between her and me.

Sometimes I just wanted to kill that girl.

"I didn't think you were so out of it that you'd hit your head that hard." Quinn defended. Brittany looked at me and gripped my arm so I wouldn't move.

"Is it supposed to get all gooey like that?" She asked using a small metal rod, no bigger than a pencil, to lift up the green goo. I watched the flame below the beaker. I stood behind Brittany and pulled down her goggles so that they were actually covering her eyes.

"Safety first Britt." She took the rod out of the beaker and placed it on a spare paper towel before turning and smiling at me. I smiled for the first time today and Quinn let out a scuff as she still stood on the other side of the room.

"Is it safe to come back?" Quinn asked refusing to wait for an answer before walking back over. "How come B cheered you up so easily? I made a well crafted joke and all she did was smile." Quinn questioned crossing her arm over her chest. I was about to open my mouth when Brittany grabbed another pair of safety goggles and put them over my eyes.

"Safety first Sanni." I smiled again and Quinn looked between us annoyed.

"What about my safety?" Quinn exclaimed watching as Brittany tugged the straps of goggles down further so that my ears were popping out slightly.

"Nobody gives a shit about your safety Quinnifer." I said laughing as she frowned.

"That's not true! I care about Quinnie Bear." Brittany said before beginning her search around the room for another pair of goggles.

"I wish you guys would just call me Quinn." Quinn said just loud enough for me to hear. She didn't want Brittany to feel bad, as for me, she didn't care.

"How about Quinopolis?" I suggested trying not to laugh.

"Okay first off, Puck called me that once and he was being a jokester as per usual, and secondly, I will smack you if you tell anyone about that." I rolled my eyes at the empty threat and turned the flame up under the beaker.

"So Puck gets exclusive rights to a nickname for you? How cute."

"Can we not talk about him? I'm still trying to get over him and it's not easy." Quinn's pleading tone was beyond annoying and I wished she would just stop. "Plus I heard about that knife stunt he pulled yesterday, he's lucky he didn't get expelled."

"You attract danger Q; think about it…Puck, Charlie-."

"You." She added nudging my side. "It's just like seeing him everyday, every time he shows up a voice in my head goes _look there's the biggest mistake in your life _or _hey Quinn check out the one that got away, he's over there shoving a kid into a locker._" Quinn slumped into a seat next to me.

"You like bad boys and you like him. Jeez, it's like so obvious. It's not like you can pretend you don't love him. Like 2 plus 2 equals 5 or something."

"It equals 4 Sanni." Brittany said holding up the goggles for Quinn to take. "How hard did you hit your head?"

"Let's just talk about this later?" Quinn suggested and I nodded, she was right this wasn't a good place to talk, especially with Brittany right there. "How much longer?" Quinn asked.

"Like 30 minutes." I said eyeing the experiment.

"Look I'm gonna head home, just email me the results and I'll write the lab report." Quinn looked so serious that Brittany and I didn't question why she'd left so abruptly. We just waved goodbye to her and watched as she tossed the goggles on the counter and shoved her phone back into her pocket. Something was up, but I'd figure that out later.

"You looked really sad today Sanni, what happened?" Brittany asked once Quinn had been gone for a few minutes.

"Nothing, I'm fine now." I assured her with a smile.

"I know you are, but you still didn't answer my question. Did something happen?" I wish Brittany would just leave it alone for once. She should care this much about something as stupid as an argument.

"Just an argument with my dad, everything's fine though so you'd better not worry." Brittany nodded her head but that didn't stop the small pout from forming on her lips. "Britt, stop that!" I urged her. "You make me happy and you always have so don't worry about it."

"Why don't you just come live with me? It'll be like a sleepover that never ends." Brittany seemed so happy and I would have genuinely said yes if I had the choice.

"I wish." I told her honestly. "Now let's finish up this experiment." I said turning off the gas that had ignited the fire. I began writing down the results as Brittany watched me intensely. "Britt I can't work when you're staring at me like that."

"Sorry." She mumbled. Brittany leaned in for a kiss and our goggles clanked together causing her to come about three inches short. "Whoops." She said with a giggle.

"Whoops indeed B."

…

Quinn's POV

"If you think I'm going to let you go through with this than you must be out of your mind." I told Charlie. She still seemed disinterested. She tucked her button down shirt into her pants and began combing her hairs. If she went down there like that then she probably wouldn't even have to tell our parents that she's gay, they'll just know from the sight of her.

"Why not? It's my choice when I choose to come out." Charlie said as a matter of fact.

"No because I still have to live here when they kick you out." I informed her. This was a huge mistake, she was risking everything for nothing. "If you do it then so help me God I will take a dive out of your window."

"You have to unlock the latch before you open the window." Charlie said nonchalantly. I could've kicked her. Hard. In the face.

"I'm actually trying to help you out you know." I informed her. "I don't…I don't understand completely, but I'm trying to. You know I love you and I just don't want to see you hurt."

"Hurting is living with something your whole life and not being able to tell anyone about it. I've got a chance to end that pain tonight; I'm not going to pass it up." I know I could never understand exactly what she was going through, but now I realized I couldn't even try. Thinking about being trapped at this point where no one understands you, that's hell, and Charlie was in hell right now.

"So then why'd you text me anyway? You didn't have to tell me you were going to do this, so why text me?" I questioned.

"Truthfully?" I only wanted the truth. "I was hoping you'd talk me out of it. I wanted you to say something that would make me realize that I was making a mistake, but…I'm not."

"Okay then, let's do this." I said suddenly getting really nervous and excited all at the same time.

"Luce, you don't have to do anything-."

"I'll support you, we're in this together." I reminded her. She grinned and so did I. "Okay seriously let's go downstairs before I say something cheesy or worse we lose our nerve." Charlie laughed and opened the door and we headed downstairs together.

"Oh Charlotte don't you just look charming." My mother said holding her hand to her chest. My father looked up from where he was seated on the table and grumbled. He wasn't a huge fan of the pink hair and I don't think he was a fan of girls dressing like Charlie did either.

"Thanks mom." Charlie said as we both took our seats at the table next to one another and across from our dad. "What's on the menu mommy dearest." I'd warned Charlie that calling mom that actually referred to a book and film with the name _Mommie Dearest_ and it was about Joan Crawford being a shitty mom and alcoholic. Charlie always replied that since mom was half of those things it should apply to her too.

"Beef stew and homemade bread." My mouth watered at the thought of homemade anything and my mom brought over the pot of steaming stew and then she began serving us each delicious bread.

"Honey do you want wine?" My father asked our mother as he stood to grab himself a glass.

"No thank you." Our mother replied. Charlie and I eyed her curiously and then exchanged confused glances.

"You sure cause I think you might need it." Charlie nudged me in the side and I shut my mouth and waited for my father to return to the table. Once we were all seated my father began to pray. For the first time in ever I noticed that Charlie didn't close her eyes for prayer and this time neither did I. We just kept looking at one another and then suddenly we heard the gentle clang of silverware against bowls and that was our sign to start eating too.

"So girls how were your days?" My father asked looking at us hopefully.

"It was alright. Got a B+ on my chem test and Holly Rhodes got suspended for pulling that chair prank on Sister Rosemary." I laughed and my mother scolded me. Well sue me for finding a nun falling over in her chair funny.

"What about you Quinnie?" My mother asked.

"Sue canceled practice so Santana, Brittany, and I worked on our Chemistry lab. I mean Santana did most of it, because she's in AP Chem and she actually understands the stuff." I explained with a shrug of my shoulders.

"That girl is going to run out of classes to take. She's only a sophomore and all those APs…" My father shook his head disapprovingly. "Doesn't she want to enjoy her high school years?"

"It's not her fault; it's her dad who's pushing her to do all those things." I told him. "He's a self-righteous son of a-."

"Quinn!" My mother interjected.

"-gun." I finished with a smile. Charlie laughed at my father's expression and I tried to cover up a smile too.

We ate the rest of our meal in relative silence. Charlie occasionally joking, me trying to keep my sarcastic comments to a minimum, my mother staring at my father's glass of wine, and my dad giving us disapproving yet loving stares. Once we'd finished eating my mother began gathering the dishes and clearing the table. Usually at this time Charlie and I would retreat to our rooms in a hurry but neither one of us moved.

"Now or never May." I whispered in Charlie's ear.

"Mom, dad, I need to talk to you." Charlie says just as my mother started putting the food back in the refrigerator. They saw the serious look on Charlie's face and my father looked concerned. No wait, that's his angry face, my father looks angry.

"Are you pregnant?" My father asked breaking the silence immediately.

"Hardly think that's possible now." I muttered and Charlie kicked me under the table. "Ow!" I gasped rubbing my sore shin.

"No of course not dad." Charlie replied before letting out a breath of air that she'd been holding since the conversation had started. "Mom, dad, I'm-." I jumped out of my seat and walked over to my mom who was cleaning a knife she used to cut the beef for the meal. I grabbed the handle of the knife, taking it from her, and placing it down on the counter far away from her.

"Sorry…proceed." I said giving a light wave of my hand and allowing Charlie to continue speaking.

"I just wanted to tell you guys that I'm…well…I'm gay. And before you freak out or start yelling I just want to let you know that this isn't a phase and this isn't part of some rebellious streak. It's who I am, and I've known for a long time, and I don't expect you guys to understand or accept it, but it's who I am. And if you guys hate me for it, then fine, but I know I've got the love of the most important person in my life, Quinn, and that's all that matters to me." I popped my head up at the sound of my name in her speech and thought about darting upstairs.

"Go upstairs." My father commanded. "Both of you please." We didn't ask why and that was because we'd have done just about anything to get out of the tension filled kitchen. Charlie was about to turn into her room when I grabbed her hand.

"What?" She asked giving me a questioning glare.

"Attic you dimwit." I dragged her up to the attic and we went over to the vent. Just like we'd done a hundred times before so we could listen in to our parents. "Oh and by the way, thanks for dragging me into your little coming out speech."

"It wasn't a speech, it's not like I wrote it out before or something. I just spoke from my heart." Charlie said leaning her head against the wall.

"Oh." I said simply. "Then it was pretty good…Ellen would be proud." Charlie punched me in the shoulder and we both laughed. "I reserve my rights as your twin to make gay jokes."

"Can I make blonde jokes then?" Charlie asked eagerly. I pondered on it for a moment, thinking about how much our lives had changed in just a matter of weeks.

"Fine." I said cheerfully. "Fine."

…

Rachel's POV

I watched as she sprinted around the track. I wondered how on earth she was in this good of shape. She didn't slow down, not once, and her form was magnificent. I wonder if I could convince her to join the track team. That was wishful thinking at best, I doubt she'd ever trade in her Cheerios uniform for a track one.

She noticed me on her fourteenth lap and she jogged over to the front of the bleachers. I was looking down at her from where I was standing and she was looking up with smiling eyes. "Hey Rachel, what are you doing out here? I thought you'd be in the library or something." The smile on her face was memorizing and so was the light coat of sweat on her face, down her neck, and…wow.

"Admiring the view." I joked. Santana laughed and jumped up on the railing and easily climbed over the rail like it was nothing. If it were me trying to get up here then I'd need a helmet and rope, lots of it. "Why are you out here running a marathon?"

"I'm not." She said rubbing the back of her neck. "I just wanted to blow off some steam." She explained. I didn't realize it until now but this time a few days ago, we were up here kissing, and right now I was blushing like an idiot and I hoped that Santana didn't notice.

"I don't know how you do it." I said and she just smiled.

"I keep blowing off that lunch I promised you. I'm going to go shower and then I'll take you." She offered. I thought she'd forgotten about the whole thing. I should stop myself next time; Santana Lopez was not to be underestimated.

We walked towards the school side by side and Santana told me to wait for a few minutes while she took a quick shower and changed her clothes. I didn't mind waiting, actually it gave me enough time to calm my emotions. I couldn't go to lunch with her if I was all jumpy like this, she'd think I was a nerd.

"Hey Berry what are you doing standing there like a lost puppy?" I looked up to see Quinn standing in front of me.

"I'm waiting for Santana, she's taking me out to lunch, she owes me one." Quinn nodded and surprisingly didn't say anything rude as a response.

"You lucked out, Santana's a sweetheart." Quinn said with a small smile. We both turned our heads when we heard a loud eruption of laughter from down the hall. Just then Santana came out of the locker room, clean and changed. She looked at Quinn and then down the hall along with us.

"Uh, what was that?" Santana asked, but none of us really thought to answer, instead we all walked down the hall. There a big crowd in front of a set of lockers and people were using their phones take snapshots of something. Quinn and Santana pushed through the crowd, enough to let me see what everyone was looking at too.

Someone had spray painted the locker and the word _Faggot _was crudely written in blue. I was taken aback and appalled, not by the cruelty of the action, it was something I'd expect, but by the reaction of the students around me. They were laughing they thought this was funny. "Whose locker is this?" Quinn asked Santana.

"Dave's." Santana responded. She looked around at the students and she began knocking phones out of people's hands, pushing them back, and yelling at them. "What the hell is your problem?" She said to one kid who seemed to be thoroughly enjoying this. "Puck!" I looked behind me to see Noah walking over towards us with a concerned look on his face.

"Who did this?" Quinn asked.

"Some guys on the football team." Quinn glared at him and he shook his head. "I had nothing to do with this." I believed him but I'm not sure if Quinn did.

"Has Dave seen this?" Santana asked. "Where is he?"

"He bolted, nearly knocked me over when he was running out to the parking lot." Noah explained.

"Do you think he's going to be okay?" I asked Noah.

"No, of course he's not." Santana said running her hand through her hair. "And he never will be."

**Review Please.**


	18. Berry Cherry

**So I'm thinking of making the whole Dave situation a bigger deal in this story, because I hated the way they did it on the show. Anyway I hope you like it.**

Quinn's POV

"Wahoo Charlie lookin good!" I looked over at Santana who was clapping her hands together as Charlie modeled some clothes for us. We were all seated on Charlie's bed judging the clothes she was thinking about wearing to an awards ceremony at her school tomorrow. We, as in Santana, Brittany, and I to be specific. I, of course, would be there tomorrow supporting my sister full on and she received her award for a poem she wrote that was going to be published in a literary magazine.

I was beyond proud of my sister. Someone in this house had to be. My parents weren't exactly open about her coming out, but they didn't kick her out so that was a plus, right? And besides, based on our listening in sessions up in the attic, we now know that they cared less about her being gay, they actually just worried about our family's reputation. As Santana said when I told her _that doesn't make them bigots that just makes them assholes._ That seemed like a pretty positive outcome if I thought about it.

"Charlie you can't wear all black." I informed her standing up and peaking into her closet, which unfortunately consisted of mostly black clothes. I cringed at her dreadful wardrobe.

"I have a green dress if you want." Brittany offered and everyone laughed except Charlie who smiled.

"To match my eyes? Girl's a genius." Charlie exclaimed and Brittany beamed at the attention. "But dresses aren't really my thing." Apparently neither are colors, nice shirts, nor jeans without holes in them.

"You should wear a pink bowtie!" Santana exclaimed. Charlie, Brittany, and I cocked our heads to the side pondering for a while, wondering exactly how that would look, and much to our surprise, we all thought the idea was good. "Oh and pink suspenders. Char's about to look like a BAMF a sexy ass BAMF." It was weird that Santana came up with most of her decent ideas when she was stoned, but right now, we weren't complaining.

Charlie touched her thumb to her tongue and then to her rear-end making a _sizzle_ sound causing us all to laugh.

"Charming Fabray." I said nodding to my sister.

"Thanks mini Fabray." Charlie replied with a satisfied smile on her face. I was too happy to wipe the grin off my face.

"More like Fabgay huh Charlie? It's got a ring to it." Santana said rolling back on the bed and laughing hysterically. Even at this point, I could tell that Brittany wasn't mad that Santana was high, she knew something that I didn't, or at least she could read Santana better than I could.

"How'd your date with Berry go?" I asked Santana.

"It wasn't a date; it was an _I owe you one_." She assured me. "And after what happened with Dave and that locker we weren't in the mood." Charlie turned and looked at Santana for a moment.

"What do you mean about what happened? What did Dave do?" Charlie questioned.

"For once he didn't do anything. Some jocks found out about him going on a date or something, a date with a guy actually-."

"Dave's gay?" Charlie questioned raising an eyebrow. "So did they give him shit for it?"

"Of course." Santana said. "Wrote _Faggot_ on his locker. They didn't even write it with cute lettering. Assholes." I threw a pillow at Santana but she just smiled in response.

"Glad I got out of there." That pang of anger and guilt returned to my heart. I thought about if Charlie had stayed, if she'd come out, then she could have really gotten hurt. They would've done the same thing to her that they did to Dave. Fuck McKinley High. "They'd have thrown pigs blood on me or something. Quality homophobia at that place."

"I'm starving." Santana said suddenly standing up and heading out of the room.

"San! We just ate!" I yelled after her but it was no use. "Would you please stop smoking with her? She gets so weird." Charlie only smiled in response. It was no use, they were both bad girls, it was just a part of who they were. "So is there going to be food at this awards thing? I can get San to go if there will be." I offered.

"I wouldn't chance it, plus San wouldn't want to go because the rents will be draining all of the fun out of the whole thing anyway." I laughed, took off my shoes, and lay down on the bed comfortably gripping a large pillow. "What's San doing tomorrow night anyway?"

"Good question. Is she staying at your place B?" I asked.

"I'll invite her over, but things have been weird with her and Lord T." I swallowed back a sarcastic retort. The last thing I wanted to do was hurt Brittany's feelings about her insanely fat cat. "I think he gets jealous when I kiss her." Charlie and I exchanged glances.

"You know Britt, maybe you should lay off on the kissing." I told Brittany who didn't seem to understand exactly where I was coming from.

"Yeah I mean it sorta makes people get the wrong idea." Charlie added.

"Well I love my best friend, and when you kiss people you love them." I wish everyone understood how Brittany thought. Actually I sort of wish I understood her. You can't just kiss anyone you want, especially not in public like that.

"Well why don't you kiss me?" I asked poking Brittany in the side.

"Jealous Quinn?" Charlie joked. "You know what it is? It's this weird affection thing. I read about it online."

"What the hell are you talking about?" I asked Charlie with an unamused expression.

"Twins need that bond, and since you thought I was separating us, you're trying to latch on to other people. You just want some love. _All you need is love, love is all you need_." I could've punched Charlie for breaking out into a Beatles song right when we were trying to be serious, but Santana came back in the room with a bowl of popcorn with chocolate drizzled on it and I lost my train of thought.

"Is Charlie getting all Socrates on us again? That shits getting old." Santana said plopping down right on my lap. I would have minded but I had decent accesses to the popcorn so I didn't have a problem with it.

"What are you doing tomorrow night?" Charlie asked Santana.

"Are you asking me out?" Santana replied. "Cause if you're asking me out, you need to have more game than that…and you also need to have a dick. Do you got one of those?"

"San, do you want to come to my house tomorrow? We can make brownies!" Brittany exclaimed.

"Pot brownies? See Charlie that's how you get action. Pot. Take notes." Charlie and I rolled our eyes in unison but couldn't help but laugh. One day she won't need drugs to escape. One day we'll all know what exactly she's escaping from.

…

Santana's POV

"What's the dwarf doing talking to Mr. Shuester?" Quinn said leaning up against the locker in front of me. She looked annoyed about Rachel again and I figured I was in for a rant.

"He's her teacher, she's probably just asking about grades. Besides what would I know about it?" I slammed my locker shut and pulled my backpack over my shoulder. Quinn smirked and then cocked her head to the side.

"Defensive much. I thought she was your little pet project?" There was the bitchy Quinn that I'd missed for the past few days. "Joking." She added to keep me from blowing up at her. I looked back over at Rachel again just to see her still talking to Mr. Shuester. She had perfect grades in Spanish, what was taking so long? "I think Berry and I are actually friends." I laughed but Quinn didn't. "We talked and as much as I'd hate to admit it…she was sort of sweet, in this creepy nerd kind of way."

"I'll take that over you being a bitch to her." I said with a shrug.

"_Attention all 10__th__ grade students, please report to the gymnasium. Once again, all 10__th__ graders please report to the gymnasium. This is not an optional meeting this is mandatory." _It was rare that we had class meetings and I figured something big must have happened. Besides, it was the middle of the day and everyone would be missing class, they wouldn't do that unless it was really important.

I ran over to Rachel who was still standing in front of Mr. Shuester. "What's going on?" I would have settled for an answer from either one of them, but Mr. Shuester was the one who looked more worried than not.

"I think we'd better wait until the meeting." I nodded and Mr. Shuester walked away.

"Well at least we get to miss a class." I said trying to look on the bright side. Rachel looked nervous so right before we entered the gym I pulled her aside. "Is there something wrong?"

"I'm just nervous. Claustrophobia, it's stupid." I smiled and Rachel looked bothered by my attitude. "I'm glad you think it's funny." She said turning away and starting towards the gym again. I reached out and grabbed her hand to stop her.

"Relax." I intertwined our fingers. "Does this help?" She didn't respond, instead she just looked down at our hands and smiled. That was answer enough. We walked in and sat close to the door as Principle Figgins walked up to the podium. The room was silent and we all looked around waiting for him to speak.

"I wish that I could come before you all today with good news, but unfortunately that is not the case." I scanned the gym for Quinn and Brittany, and I spotted them sitting next to one another surrounded by a large group of cheerleaders. "One of your classmates, Dave Karofsky, is currently in the hospital. He is in critical condition but the doctors are hopeful. If you'd like more news regarding-."

"You son of a bitch!" I don't know what got into me, but before I knew it, I was standing in front of Finn Hudson, yelling at him in front of our whole class. "What'd you do to him? It wasn't enough for you to destroy his whole life you had to go and hurt him? What is wrong with you?" Quinn was already at my side ready to back me and I could see Puck getting up and ready to get in the middle if he had to.

"I didn't do shit!" Finn said standing up like he was going to intimidate me at all.

"Nothing? You didn't do anything? I seem to recall you writing something on his locker and outing him to the whole goddamn school you retched mother fucker." Luckily, for Finn, Ms. Pillsbury and Mr. Shuester rushed over and escorted me out of the gym before I could punch that asshole. Mr. Schuester had a firm grip on my arm and they ushered me to Ms. Pillsbury's office quickly.

"Santana please calm down." I looked at Mr. Shuester as if he was crazy.

"Why are you dragging me out? Finn Hudson is the one who did this to Dave! Why aren't you dialing the fucking cops? Jesus you people are supposed to help us." The exchanged knowing and guilty looks before Ms. Pillsbury tried to grab my wrist and make me sit down. I yanked my hand out of her grip just as soon as she touched me. "You're just going to let him get away with this? He's the star quarterback and he gets to get away with everything, huh? I knew this fucking school was shit-."

"Santana please, it'd be best if you sat down." I trusted Ms. Pillsbury just that much more than Mr. Shuester so I sat down just to quell the tension in the room. "We're here for consoling if you need anything."

"I don't need shit; I need to beat someone's ass." I explained to them.

"I don't think you understand." I felt insulted by the comment but I kept calm.

"No I think I understand it pretty clearly. Finn puts Dave in the hospital and the school's just going to pretend it never happened because, sure Dave's a prick, but he's also gay. And at this school, in this town, if you're gay you get you what's coming to you." They shook their heads but they knew it was true. I knew better than them, I understood how things worked here.

"Dave's in the hospital because he tried to kill himself. Not because of Finn Hudson." I looked between them and then stood to my feet. I couldn't be here, I couldn't stay here looking at these people, not for another day. "I can tell you hospital hours if you'd like to visit him. I'll even take you if you'd like."

"I've got to go." I said leaving the office before they could stop me. I could see the kids pouring out of the gym and I tried to get past them without anyone saying a word to me. I was almost at the door, I was so close, when I heard the shuffling of flats and Rachel rush over and grab my hand.

"Where are you going? Class is this way." Didn't she think I knew that? She was naïve for always trying to look for the best in people. That was her biggest fault.

"I've got to get out of here." I didn't stop, not even when I was at the door, if she wanted to follow me that was up to her, but there was no way I was stopping.

"Fine, I'll go with you."

"No, you can't. You'll miss your classes-." I pulled my keys out of my pocket and opened up the door to my car. Rachel rushed over to the passenger's side of the car and got in beside me. "What are you doing? I don't want you to get in trouble." And truthfully I didn't. I knew my fate if I skipped, but Rachel, she wasn't like me, she had passion for school, I just had pride.

"I'm not going to let you be alone." It seemed like that was enough for her, that was all she was going to say, and I guess that was all I needed. "You seem very upset about this…I didn't realize how much you cared about Dave?"

"I don't." I paused and tried to figure out a simple way to explain things to Rachel. "Really, I don't give a shit about that guy, he's hurt a lot of people, but I guess…so have I. It wasn't right, him getting outed and getting shit for who he is, that's never right. My friend just came out and that took balls, you know? When I heard about Dave, I couldn't help but think of him as Charlie. What if that was Charlie?"

I didn't think it was a great idea to drive, not in the condition I was in, so I offered to take Rachel somewhere instead, anywhere really. "Let's just go back to my house." I was happy she chose that, because I sure as hell didn't want to go to some hipster hangout or something. I just wanted to be alone. Alone with her I mean.

When we arrived at her house, there weren't any cars in the driveway. I had to stop myself from making the stupid mistake of asking why. I forgot it was the middle of the day and her dad's had jobs, they'd probably be back much later. I parked and we exited the car, Rachel walked up to her front door but I told her to wait a moment so I could get a spare set of clothes out of my trunk. When I returned to the front steps, she was lifting up the welcome rug and pulling out a key. "How original." I mused getting a nonchalant shrug from Rachel.

"Can I get you something? A snack, a drink." I was happy about the offer but I told Rachel to get me whatever she wanted while I changed into some sweatpants and a fitted t-shirt.

"I should've asked for a beer." I joked when I returned to the kitchen and Rachel pouring us both orange juice.

"That would be illegal." Rachel reminded me. "Then again so is smoking pot."

"Valid points Rachel Berry." I applauded her and she gave me one of her million dollar smiles. "Where do you keep all your family photos?" I asked. Her face fell and she began looking nervous.

"W-why do you want to look at my family photos?" I didn't bother answering I just left the kitchen and began looking around the family room. It took all of four and a half seconds to find the big wall of photographs. There were a few family portraits but mostly they were of Rachel from musicals, competitions, and school. I smiled; it was like watching the life story of Rachel Berry right before my eyes.

"You must think I'm so weird." Rachel said bashfully.

"Weird isn't the word I would use." I said picking up a picture from a ballet competition. She was holding a trophy, she one first place. "Cute seems more appropriate." Rachel beamed and I rolled my eyes. "I mean in like a puppy sort of way."

"It's still a compliment." She said nudging me. "Do you want to come up to my room?" Rachel asked with the most innocent expression on her face. She kept that expression until she realized what she'd just said. "Oh God, I'm embarrassing myself now. I don't even know how to talk to you like a normal human being."

"Don't sweat it." I told her. She led me up to her room, which looked exactly like I'd expected it to, and I didn't hesitate to sit down on her bed. She stood on the other side of the room mindlessly fixing things on her dresser. "Is there like some tension between us or something?" I'd felt it since this morning and I wished we could just fix it.

"No." She said with her cheeks flaring red.

"Then why are you all the way over there?" I know it was because I'd kissed her. That was the reason for about 99 percent of all problems in the world. Stupid kisses. And the big issue was this one didn't even count. It was just an experiment and still it had put a wedge between us. I didn't like this. I liked just when Rachel would say something nerdy and I would say something bitchy or stupid and that was that. That dynamic I could deal with, I couldn't deal with this resentment or worse.

"It's my room I can do whatever I want." She said boldly.

"Saucy Berry, I like it." I winked at her and there was the blushing again. "Hey what were you talking to Mr. Shuester about earlier today? Before the announcement I mean." I had been curious about it and planning to ask her up until I blew up in the gymnasium.

"It's private." I eyed Rachel curiously.

"You'd better not be having an affair with that old fucker." I warned her.

"That's absolutely repulsive. And I hardly think that I would be having an affair with anyone if I've never kissed someone before…you."

"That'd be something. An affair. How do people do that? It's got to take a lot of effort…and money. I'm too lazy to do that." Rachel smiled and finally decided to take a seat on her bed next to me. "Like who wants to do the dirty in a stupid motel room. Skanky people that's who."

"You've thought about this a lot?" Rachel inquired.

"Yeah I always think about ways I could piss off my dad. Like have an affair with one of his colleagues. Cause a huge messy scandal or something, with lawsuits and shit. That'd be fun." Rachel didn't agree and she wanted to say something but she kept it to herself. "You don't have to hold back you know. If you want to say something just say it."

"You'd have an affair with someone just to piss your dad off? I mean you'd sleep with someone older than you, just to get a rise out of him?" I thought about it for a moment before rolling to my side and propping my head up on my hand. I looked up at Rachel, her eyes her larger than I remember, maybe it was the look of astonishment still wearing off.

"You're not mad that I'd have an affair. You think I sleep around or something."

"I never said that." She pleaded defensively.

"You didn't have to." Okay now I was annoyed. Why did she think that about me? Probably because I didn't exactly quell the rumor about me at school. I didn't have the energy and frankly I didn't care what people thought of me. At least I didn't care until Rachel came along. "I've only had sex with one person." I told her.

"Really?" She asked with an excited tone.

"Well don't sound so surprised." I muttered. "It happened when I was 14 and…at least it's not something I regret." I know that first times are usually shitty for people our age, but mine wasn't. I hoped that Rachel could have an experience like mine, she got shit her entire life, she deserved something special. "Oh I've got it! I'll shave my head! I'll come home to my family dinner with my abuela being bald! That'd piss them all the fuck off."

"Why is it that you only seem to be home when your abuela comes over?" I wish I could tell her how unbelievably adorable she sounded when she said _abuela_. I would ask her to repeat it, but that'd be too weird.

"Those are the nights when we have to pretend like everything is alright at home. I wear my hair down, I serve the food with my mother, and we can all sit there and pretend like we're perfect." Rachel didn't comment and I didn't want her too. My family was shit; I didn't need her saying it to let me know that. "My dad said I have to get my grade up in English."

"Would you like my help?" Rachel offered.

"Actually I was thinking of trading English papers for sexual favors." I thought the joke was funny but Rachel punching me hard, in the shoulder, let me know otherwise. "It's not an awful offer." I joked.

"I never said it was." Rachel replied with a smirk.

"You're witty. You're a closet comedian, I knew it from the start. Short people are all really good at something. Like the Napoleon complex. You're funny, musically and artistically gifted, smart, beautiful…you're golden."

"You think I'm pretty?" Rachel questioned.

"I said _beautiful_." Now it was my turn to blush. I sat up, pressing my back to her headrest. "Do me a favor and don't let one of those jocks get into your pants. So not worth it, and you deserve better."

"I don't think they've ever even noticed me." Rachel said shaking her head.

"They aren't using their eyes, they're using their dicks. Leads them astray, but…" I touched her hand. "If they had any sense in them, they'd be all over you. Tryin to pop that Berry cherry." Rachel grabbed her pillow and smacked me across the face with it. "Jeez, is this how you treat all your guests?"

"Only the one's I like." She replied playfully.

"I have a question for you." I said seriously. "And you have to be honest with me."

"Okay." She sounded nervous but also eager, like she wanted to give me the answer I wanted not the right answer.

"Do you care about me?" She looked afraid and she hesitated with her voice. She tried clearing her throat but it was no use.

"I can't help it."

"I told you not to. You should've listened to me." She bit her lip and watched as I stood to my feet and walked over to her door. "You're getting into dangerous territory Rachel; I can't protect you…not anymore." I hoped that she understood what I meant, but then I realized that there was no way she could. It was vague and she only had half of the story, everyone only had half of the story. It wasn't fair, Rachel shouldn't have to deal with someone like me, I told her not to care. I told her.

**Review.**


	19. Don't Touch Me

**Someone was wondering if this is a Pezberry story and it is indeed a Pezberry story. I just have to say, about the whole Dave thing, Glee had such a good opportunity to write something decent with that storyline, but they just buried it like all their other storylines, it was awful. So the Dave situation plays an important part in this story as a whole.**

Charlie's POV

"I need you for an alibi." I looked across the table at Santana and I was already shaking my head no. I don't know what she was talking about, but I didn't want to get in the middle of it. I was on cloud nine after my awards ceremony and I didn't want something bringing me down.

"Did you kill anyone or rob a bank?" I asked making sure I got the tough questions out of the way first. Santana scrunched up her face and frowned.

"No I just didn't go over Britt's last night and she's going to worry and so is Quinn. You can just say I was out with you." I nodded thinking that it was probably best if Brittany and Quinn didn't worry about Santana. I could read her easily and right now, she wanted to be left alone. "Why are we at the fucking _Lima Bean_? Can't we just go home?" I looked at Santana, scooted her strawberry/banana smoothie closer to her, and took a sip of mine.

"I like how you say _home_, like you live there too." I said with a grin.

"I do live there, basically I mean, and you never answered my question. Why are you being all weird and nice and shit?" Santana was half bored and half tired, which meant she couldn't articulate anything properly. I'd always found that charming for some reason.

"I'm just in the celebrating mood. I'm a published author and Dave's alive, give me a high five." I put my hand up but Santana just looked at it with a glare. I put my hand back down on the table.

"Funny how now everyone wants to pretend they were friends with him now. Especially you." That hit a nerve and Santana knew it, but she wasn't the type to filter her words. Or apologize for saying them.

"I never knew he had it rough." I said as if that'd explain half of my actions. Santana looked towards the counter, directly at Kurt, and I followed suit. "What are you thinking?" I asked.

"Kurt should go see Dave." Santana suggested.

"Well that may actually be the worst idea I've ever heard in my entire fucking life. Why would Kurt want to see his tormentor?" I asked her just as I finished my smoothie. Santana gave me this look, like I'd asked the most ridiculous question in the world.

"I think it'd be dramatic, it'd make them both face their past. Like an ABC special or some stupid shit like that. A gay ABC special." Maybe she was actually right. It'd be better to face their pasts than to just ignore it altogether. "You should give him a ride or something."

"I'll give it a thought." Now I was ready to leave. I didn't want get into a big thing not here at least. There was a reason I'd just taken Santana to the _Lima Bean_. I liked being with her, just us, together alone. I wish this was a real date. I'd asked her to go with me, but Santana just shrugged and said sure she'd go, but I realized how hard it was to get her to understand that I was seriously asking her out.

If I said it was a date, she'd joke about it, but if I didn't she would think it was just as friends. I didn't want to be friends.

But I couldn't tell her that, I didn't know how to. You can't tell your friend that you want to be more, someone's going to whined up hurt. And that someone was going to be me. I realized that I liked her when we shot-gunned for the first time, the taste of her lips were mesmerizing.

It was stupid to base this all off one drug induced kiss. Relationships based on drugs never turned out well. But it was so much more than that. Santana understood me and she understood me completely.

"You get this look on your face when you're thinking deeply. Your eyebrows furrow, you bit your lip, and your eyes turn this honey brown color." I smiled when she said that, because I'd been caught and because she'd been staring at me before. I can't believe she'd noticed that, she was more observant than she let on, it was very appealing.

"Do you think Quinn and I…do you think we're different?" It was always something that was on my mind.

"Nah you're nothing alike. I don't even think you look that similar. What do you care?" I cared because I thought if she was ever attracted to me, then it'd probably mean that she was attracted to Quinn too. "Oh I get it. You don't want people to be attracted to Quinn and you at the same time." I looked up at her and sighed. "That's not how things will work. People are attracted to Quinn's looks first, but for you…it's all personality at first. Maybe the pink hair too."

"If you were…never mind." It was stupid to even start asking that question. I was going to make her freak out and she'd probably never hang out with me again. She'd go back to hanging with Quinn all the time, it wouldn't be the first time someone's chosen Quinn over me, and it probably wouldn't be the last. Santana smiled and reached across the table to tap the top of my hand. "You'll think I'm weird for even asking."

"I already know you're weird…look if you don't ask me who else are you going to talk to? Quinnie Bear?" Santana laughed at her own joke and even I cracked a smile.

"If you were…um you know…would you find me attractive?" Santana laughed immediately and I knew it was a mistake. I felt so self-conscious under her stare.

"God just say it, you're gay that gives you free reign to say things like that. Anyway, if I was gay I guess…I guess I'd find you attractive. In like this punk, dangerous girl sort of way, but I'm a badass myself so I don't think we'd mesh well." Santana grinned and took a sip of her smoothie. She didn't understand, we'd work perfectly together, we were already sitting here basically on a date, a date that she didn't even know about. "What do you think of me?" She didn't look at me when she asked, it was the first time since I'd known her that she opened herself up to me. She's was letting me judge her and she never did that.

"I'm not going to answer that." I said simply. She didn't look offended or annoyed, she just stood up and handed me the two dollars to pay for her smoothie.

"Come on, let's get out of here." I pocketed the money, intent on slipping the money in her jacket later, but until then I just followed her out to her car. I got in the passenger's seat and Santana got in her seat.

She started her car and began backing out. I put my hands over her to stop her. She put the car back in park. "What? Did you forget something inside?"

"I think that you're hot. I mean…" I bit my bottom lip. "I think you're sexy, your lips, your eyes…everything about you is so beautiful." She finally looked at me and neither one of us looked away. I sat up further in my seat, realizing that my hand was still over hers. I leaned in, with my hand on her waist, pulling her closer to me, so I could-."

"I can't." She turned her face away from mine and I was forced to pull back out of embarrassment. "Please don't touch me like that again."

"I'm sorry-."

"Don't be sorry, it just…it never happened." It was stupid of me to even try; she was way out of my league. I had to try though, I'd been crushing on her for five years, and even if I'd gotten hurt in the end I couldn't just do nothing about it. I thought she might have felt something back, but I thought wrong. "I just need my friends right now, you understand right?"

"Of course." I might as well prep myself for a lonely afternoon of listening to a playlist of Norah Jones, Bon Iver, and Adele, because my heart was honestly crushed. And you couldn't blame me. Santana was a catch; she'd make someone happy, but just not me.

"I don't want to hurt you." Santana said putting up her guard again. I could tell because she turn on the radio and began tapping her fingers lightly on the steering wheel. She didn't look at me and I knew she was searching her brain of a sarcastic comment to make about the whole situation. "Don't tell Quinn about this." Santana said once we'd been driving for about five minutes.

"I'm not exactly one to boast about getting rejected." I said letting down my window.

"I didn't mean…just pretend this never happened." That was easy for her to say.

…

Quinn's POV

When Sue called us into her office I knew something was up. She only called us into her office if she wanted to congratulate us or if something was wrong. As far as I was concerned we hadn't done anything special recently so we must be in trouble. The really strange part was that she'd called Brittany in too. Usually it was just Santana and me for these meetings.

Santana noticed too.

"What is this bullshit about?" Santana asked me as we sat in Sue's office waiting for her to come back.

"If I knew I would've told you." I replied glancing behind me at the clock. I was so tense right now I felt like I was going to hurl. Brittany was the only one who was excited about this. She was bouncing on these stupid fitness balls that Sue made us sit on. She looked over at Santana and frowned.

"Maybe she called us in to tell us that we're getting the day off?" I rolled my eyes at Brittany and Santana reached over and pinched my arm.

"Doubtful, she's probably telling us that she's sacrificing one of our cheerleaders in order to make the pyramid lighter. Wouldn't surprise me one bit." I hadn't waiting for anything and Santana was more impatient than I was. "Where the hell is she?" I said crossing my arms over my chest and pouting.

"Chill Q-tip." Santana wasn't one for encouraging words and right now she really wasn't helping. I looked over at Santana who had her bitch smirk on her face. I was about to say something when Brittany popped her face into my view and smiled.

"Would you shut up with the patronizing nicknames? My name is Quinn." I told Santana. She just shrugged but I knew that I would at least stop her for a while. It wasn't so much the nicknames that bothered me it was that I'd changed so much to become Quinn, and I didn't want people belittling it. Actually, I only cared if it was Santana.

"You're so cute when you're mad." Santana said sarcastically.

"Brittany, can you move so I can kick Santana's ass?" I questioned as I began cracking my knuckles. I stood up and glared right at Santana.

"When hell freezes over then maybe I'll consider being scared of you, but until then, sit the fuck down." I huffed and sat back down. I mentally hit myself because I'd listened to Santana's command so easily. I was turning into a pushover.

"Girls." We all turned to see walking in with her patented tracksuit on with an angry expression on her face. That wasn't good. Sue took a seat behind her desk and I nudged Brittany on the knee making her sit up straight. "We have a serious problem and although I'd rather quell the issue by a little mafia action, I spent 6 months in the penitentiary in '87 and I'm not in the mood for prison food again." I usually just zoned out when Sue started rambling about her past so she'd lost me at _girls_.

"What kind of problem?" Santana asked with far too much attitude in her voice.

"The kind that can't be solved with good old fashioned murder that's the kind. Keep up Lopez." Santana opened her mouth to say something, but I glared her into staying silent. "Now that greaseball William Shuester has just signed his death warrant with the stunt he's about to pull." I really hoped that one of us understood what the hell Sue was talking about because I certainly didn't.

"Sorry but what does your personally vendetta against Mr. Shue have to do with us?" Santana questioned. I always thought she should just be the captain of the squad, I mean she was the one always standing up to Sue. She had more guts than I did, and that was a fact.

"Tone it down Lopez or you'll be running suicides for the next week." Santana was ballsy but that didn't mean she was naïve about when to shut up. "Now back to the point. William Shuester is the one parasite that I've never been able to get ride of and on top of all that he's trying to split our budgets."

"Sorry, but what does a Spanish teacher need a budget for? Salsa?" I asked feeling like this was a big waste of my time.

"I love salsa." Brittany said with a grin.

"He's planning on starting up the infection that is Glee club again. You know what a Glee club is? It's afterbirth, it's the vomit of the world, and I will not have them taking away my money. I need it." Sue was obviously passionate about this, but I still didn't understand our role in this.

"A Glee club? Like one of those weird singing things? I thought we already had a choir here." Santana said.

"We do." I said exchanging confused glances with Santana. We were communicating without even speaking and the only things we were saying were: _What does this have to do with us? What the fuck is a Glee club? _And _Does Sue want us to kill Mr. Shuester?_

"So…Figgins is just gonna reject their budget then all order will be restored." I said with a shrug. There wasn't exactly much we could do. We were the Cheerios, no one messed with us, so why was Sue so worried?

"Let me ask you a question Q, are you an idiot? Figgins already approved the budget that's why I'm so pissed!" Sue picked up a three-pound weight and chucked it across the room. I flinched when it crashed into her awards hanging on the way behind us.

"So what are we supposed to do about it? I don't think Mr. Shuester is going to be intimidated into stopping this Glee club. I mean I could get some knifes or something-." Sue cut of Santana before she could get too far into it.

"You know what the most deadly way to destroy an enemy?" Sue questioned.

"With love?" Brittany asked.

"Violence?" I questioned but Sue shook her head no.

"Biological warfare?" Sue cracked a smile at Santana's answer but I just frowned. How many times had she watched _Saving Private Ryan_?

"I've already tried that." Sue said giving a small nod to Santana. "But the answer is from the inside out. Infiltration into that club and making them implode. It'll be like treason, beautiful treason. I may start calling you all the Arnolds."

"Who's Arnold?" Brittany asked tapping me on the shoulder.

"She's referring to Benedict Arnold Britt, I'll explain later." That was just like Santana. High pressure situation and she knew a way to diffuse Brittany's confusion. "Also you'd better have another idea because there's no way I'm joining some weird singing club. You couldn't pay me to do it."

"Me neither." I said making sure to have Santana's' back because I know she'd have mine.

"I think it sounds fun." Brittany said clasping her hands together.

"That's the spirit B, and don't worry Q and S will be on board too once they realize that I'll kick them off the squad if they don't." I jumped out of the seat and fumed. She could not make us do this! It wasn't fair.

"This is insane!" I snapped.

"Nope this is life. You want to prove you're worthy of being my captains and best dancer on the squad then you'll do as I say." I knew what Sue said went, but this was such bullshit I couldn't even fathom it fully. Sue knew exactly how to manipulate us into doing exactly what she wanted. Santana wasn't happy about it, but she didn't say anything. She was already thinking about leaving the squad and this might just be her catalyst.

"Fine." Santana said staring down Sue. She'd be staying late at practice just for that, but I could tell that she didn't care. We walked out of Sue's office, in a single file line, without saying a word. It wasn't until we rounded the corner that Santana said something.

"I feel like hitting something." Santana said. The scary part was she had no emotion in her voice, not even anger. I had to snap her out of it before she actually found something or someone to hit.

"Don't…look it's not that awful. We'll go to the club two or three times, we'll threaten people until they leave and then in a week we'll be done with it." Santana nodded but she kept looking ahead like if she looked at me I was the one she was going to punch. I looked at Brittany, silently telling her to do something. Brittany wrapped her arm around Santana's waist and tickled her side before Santana broke out into a fit of laughter.

"Fine I'll do it." Santana said gently pushing Brittany away. "But I'm going to have to get a vodka iv going into my system before I step foot in a fucking choir room. Do you remember fifth grade Britt?" I had no idea what they were talking about but the laugh they exchanged let me know there was a humorous story behind it.

"How could I forget?" Brittany said.

"We were singing _Good Morning Baltimore _and I was on the top row on one of those stands. My ass passed out and feel like ten feet to the ground. Cracked my head wide open. Wanna see the scar?" Santana offered feeling the back of her head to find it for me.

"No thanks." I declined.

"So how long do you give this club?" I asked Brittany and Santana.

"Two weeks." Brittany said.

"Two days…tops, especially if I have anything to do with it."

…

Rachel's POV

Every time I tried to get away, I end up back here. I even called my father, I told him to pick me up early, but I was on the phone two minutes later telling him that I'd changed my mind. I didn't think it was that strange, watching her I mean. She was beautiful and gracefully, she was everything I wanted to be.

You could say that I was jealous, but that really wasn't the right word. I wanted something from Santana Lopez; I just didn't know what yet.

So I was content with watching her like this, it was peaceful and it allowed me to think. My mind always returned to her refusal to let me care about her. I've heard that there were people like that in the world, but I didn't know they actually verbalize it like that. In some sort of messed up logic I'd hoped she was just using reverse psychology on me, and secretly she just wanted me to care about her.

She was sophisticated enough to do something like that, but I knew those weren't her intentions. It was just so frustrating!

There she was running back towards the school, sprinting actually. I was following her before I realized it. I went into the Cheerios locker room without hesitation because I knew that something was wrong. I found her leaning over the sink. The water was running and she was breathing heavily. I could see one stall door opened and it looked like she'd just run in here in a hast. My feet felt like they were bolted to the ground and yet they felt like jello.

I finally got the confidence to take one step forward and as soon as my foot hit the ground Santana's eyes shot to mine. She looked angry at first, maybe she thought I was another Cheerio and she didn't want to be seen in this state, but once she saw that it was me her face softened a bit. I grabbed some paper towels and held them out for her. She took them without saying anything.

"Are you alight?" She shook her head gently and remorsefully.

"That's a loaded question." She dipped the paper towels in water and then wiped off her face. I didn't notice until now that her breathing didn't slow down. Actually, it'd gotten worse.

"I just meant in this moment, are you alright?" She reached towards the sink behind me and grab something. I didn't see what it was until she put it to her lips and breathed in. It was an inhaler. "You have asthma?"

"Quite the observant girl, huh?" It came out harsher than she intended because she frowned, took another deep inhale, and then coughed to clear her throat. She nearly lost her balance, the only thing holding her up was her hand gripping the sink. "I'm sorry I didn't mean for it to come out like that."

"Do you want me to go get Sue?" She laughed and I felt embarrassed for the suggestion. She may have thought she knew what was best but she didn't. "Stop being stubborn."

"If Sue knew about this then she'd treat me differently and I don't need that shit. I can handle myself." What she didn't understand was that she was putting her life in danger. It wasn't healthy to come running in here like this just to get an inhaler. What if she didn't make it? What if she had a serious asthma attack?

"This is dangerous behavior, it would be better if you had your inhaler with you at all times. I'm not trying to boss you around; I'm only trying to help." She sighed like she'd run out of things to say and I was happy that I was controlling the conversation for once.

"If I don't get back out there then Sue's going to make them run extra because of me." She started to leave she was just going to push me aside like she always did, but I reached out in griped my hand. I didn't realize I was making a mistake until she flinched and yanked her arm away.

The look in her eyes was terrifying.

"Don't touch me!" She backed up and ran into the sink behind her. The inhaler fell from her hands and we both just left it there on the floor.

"Tonight I'd like you to come over my house, we'll work on an English paper or we'll just sit there awkwardly in my room, I don't care…but just come over." She didn't complain or say anything and I didn't know how I could end the conversation. I just wrapped my arms around her waist, pulling her into a hug. Her body was tense against mine, it was so tense that when she finally relaxed and let out a light laugh, I couldn't even bite back a smile.

"W-what are you doing?"

"You looked like you needed a hug." It only took a few moments for her to wrap her arms around me, letting me know just how much she really did need a hug.

**Review.**


	20. Family

**I hope you guys like this one. Next chapter starts the Glee Club, it should be interesting.**

Rachel's POV

I could tell that she was nervous by the way, she continued to fumbling with her inhaler. I lightly touched her arm and she flinched just like she had in the Cheerios locker room. I pulled my hand back and watched her for a moment. She had a faint scar near her eyebrow, it looked new and I thought to ask her but I figured she'd rather not talk right now.

I didn't mind the quiet, especially with Santana, she could say a lot more with a look than she could ever say with words. It was her eyes actually. They were a dark brown, but if she looked at you at just the right angle, they would glimmer and catch the light. When she was out of the light, they were seductive and bold, almost to the point where I was literally drawn to her at times.

"Are your friends going to wonder where you are?" I asked. Strangely excited by the fact that I would be able to steal Santana away from Quinn and Brittany just for a while.

"They'll just think I'm home for once." Santana said shrugging her shoulders. I frowned a little to myself, embarrassed that I would even think that Santana would tell them. I was still a little sideshow to her real life.

"Why don't you tell them the truth?" I asked encouraging her to just say it aloud. It would hurt to know that she didn't consider me a friend, but it would hurt worse if she just avoided it altogether.

"Because this is Quinn's biggest nightmare and if I told Brittany she'd end up telling Quinn. She's been through some things recently and this would crush her." Santana had a hard time balancing things like friendships and apparently feelings. Every time I pushed her, she pushed back hard and then she just closed up. One day I'd push her far enough for her to actually tell me how she was feeling, but until then I should just watch my boundaries.

"How was the end of practice? I mean after you ignored my advice and went back out there." Santana smiled at that and so did I.

"Quinn punched me for making everyone run extra and I had to do 150 sit-ups while the rest of the squad was on their water break." I cringed at the thought. My eyes roamed down to Santana's torso. Her shirt was fitted, but not tight, even then I could see the faint signs of her abs. "Brittany snuck me water while Quinn was talking to Sue, I don't know what I would do without her."

"She always stares at me, is that normal for her? I'm not judging…I just…" I blushed at the thought. Brittany was just Brittany, everyone in the school knew that, but I was embarrassed by unwanted attention. Anyone staring at me made my eyes water and cheeks warm up.

"Don't take it badly." Santana said. "She thinks you're cute." My mind only focused on the last two words of her sentence and I could feel my cheeks heating up again. Santana rested her body by leaning up against the railing of the steps. She looked very relaxed and content right now. I hoped my father would hurry up and get here; I couldn't help but think that I might mess things up before we even got back to my house.

"Bye San, goodnight Rachel, I'll see you tomorrow." I turned to see Noah Puckerman walking past Santana and I as he headed to his black Mustang. I lifted my hand to wave bye to him but Santana grabbed it and pulled it back down.

"Why did he just say that to you?" She didn't sound angry, just nervous and _possessive_.

"Because we go to the same school and that probably means we'll see one another tomorrow." Santana didn't look like she was buying it. "We went to the same Hebrew school for years; it'd be rude of him not to say anything to me. Don't seem so astonished that I might have another friend in this place."

"Just don't mess around with him." Santana said. It was advice and a command. How could I say no to her? How could anyone deny her anything? She seemed so sure of herself right now, and I was so submissive sometimes that I didn't even want to question it.

"Is that a command?" I joked.

"It might as well be. I saw him rip out my best friend's heart and if he did that to someone else, especially you…I might have to kill him." I never knew she could be this protective. Actually, that wasn't true. I just thought that she was protective like this only with Quinn, Charlie, and Brittany.

"Don't worry, he's a friend and that's all he'll ever be." Santana seemed happy with the answer so she didn't push further but I could see in her eyes that she was desperate to say something.

"It's pretty bitchy for me to try and control your life. I'm sorry I just don't want to see you hurt." She smiled without looking at me. She was slowly opening up and she didn't even realize it. "So are your dads gonna be mad that I'm coming over without even asking first?"

"My fathers will be delighted. I don't usually have guests unless it's Kurt. My father talks about your dad a lot actually." I said as I saw my father's car pulling into the parking lot and moving towards us.

"Really? What does he say?" She seemed uncomfortable asking this and I wondered why.

"You can ask him right now if you want." I offered as my father's car pulled to a complete stop and I opened the door for Santana to get in. She grabbed both of our backpacks and pulled them into the car and I smiled knowing I must have been lugging around my backpack all day. And she noticed. I got into the car and my father raised an eyebrow at me and smiled at Santana.

"Well hi girls." He said turning down the radio and eyeing me through the mirror.

"Hi dad, Santana is coming over to work on an English paper with me if that's okay." I already knew it would be fine with him. It was really my other dad, Hiram that I had to worry about. He'd never done well with new faces, and he was suspicious of absolutely everything. When I was a baby, he never let people touch me. It was just him being over protective. Santana would get the once over and then the once over again. She was different, he would sense that by the way she always seemed so guarded and he would push farther than I ever would.

"Of course it's okay, that sounds like a boring way to spend your Thursday evening though. Rachel is all work and no play." I frowned at my father for even saying such a thing.

"Yeah I know." Santana replied with that hazy smirk of hers that always made me roll my eyes.

"I resent that and frankly it's impolite of you two gang up on me when daddy isn't here to help defend me." I said in a huff of anger and annoyance.

"No one's trying to gang up on you." Santana said tapping my knee gently.

"So, Santana first, how was your day?" We usually waited until dinner to talk about our days but my father must have been curious. It was hard not to be curious about Santana. There was so much to ask and only so little she'd actually answer. She was a puzzle.

"It was fine, nothing too interesting." Santana looked over at me and her expression said _don't say anything_. I was a rebellious child once, and I still had some of that in me.

"If _nothing too interesting_ means you didn't throw up, have an asthma attack, and go back out to practice then yes you are correct." My father's eyes widened and Santana slumped in the seat next to me.

"Your dad didn't ask for my life story." Santana berated. I noticed that when Santana got angry the vein in her neck popped out for just a moment. Her eyes darkened and her jaw clenched. It was scary and gorgeous all at the same time. "Everything is fine now though so no worries Mr. Berry…oh I'm sorry-." I looked over at Santana who looked afraid. "It's Dr. Berry, I didn't mean to insult you."

"Actually it's Leroy." My dad said as we pulled into my driveway. "And don't you dare apologize for something as silly as that. Now I'll keep Hiram busy while you girls go upstairs. I don't want him interrogating you right now." I silently thanked my father as ushered Santana inside and up the stairs quickly. Santana didn't even question why we were rushing but when we walked into my room she crossed her arms over her chest and laughed at my flustered face.

"It wasn't going to be electroshock therapy; I could've handled your dad asking a few questions." Santana assured me. She set her backpack down on my bed and pulled out her English binder and her laptop. "Rachel, why are you just standing there?" She asked.

"I'm coming." I was in the midst of taking off my shoes when Santana chuckled.

"Wanky." Santana said smirking and waiting for me on my bed. She turned on her computer and began typing, using a sheet of notes as her reference. I was happy she was focused on something else so she wouldn't see me blushing like an idiot. "Hey this sentence seems to have some awkward wording and I cant fix it, can you help me?" I eagerly walked over and took a seat next to Santana. I leaned closer to her and began correcting the sentence for her. I could tell that she didn't mind or even take it as a criticism she genuinely wanted help from me.

"This essay is amazing. When is it due?"

"Next week." She said scrolling down to the 6th page of her essay. "God this thing is shit. I shouldn't have started this at 2 in the morning."

"Your essay is a million times better than any of mine. I'll bet a hundred dollars that you'll get an A." I assured her.

"You think so?" She asked hopefully.

"I know so." I responded. "I'm not really confident about normal teenage stuff like parties, boys, looks…but school is something I can handle."

"Looks? That's one thing I think you have in the bag." My breath hitched. If she was joking she should just laugh after saying something like that so my heart wouldn't start beating this fast, but she didn't even cackle. I needed her to cackle now! This wasn't fair. Why would she say something like that?

"Thanks." I said just above a whisper. "Look it's getting late-."

"Oh no it's cool I'll go." She said stuffing her things into her backpack.

"No." I said stopping her. I reached out my hand to touch hers but I stopped myself. I'd already made her flinch enough to last a lifetime. "I was going to ask you if you wanted to stay and have dinner. I'd understand if you didn't want to…actually that was a bad idea to even think that you'd want to-."

"I'd love to." Santana said with a smile. "Thank you." I cocked my head to the side.

"For what?" I asked.

"For making me feel welcome here."

…

Quinn's POV

For the third time I'd walked up to the door and turned around I'd finally gotten the hang of the crocked third step and the tacky garden gnome with a pink shoe staring at me. I could probably navigate the front porch blindfolded at this point. I was so embarrassed by the fact that I was acting like an unbelievable idiot that I didn't even think about people seeing me. It was a Thursday afternoon; people were probably looking at the freak show that was me out of the front windows.

That's it, after I left this place, I am going to go home and drown myself in the bathtub. Ugh, Charlie still hasn't cleaned out her stupid pink hair, so maybe that's a bad idea. That's a less than graceful way to go. And what the fuck was I doing standing here and thinking about drowning myself, that was disrespectful, especially considering what I came here to do.

I might as well get it over with; Charlie wasn't going to wait in my car forever. It was her fault I was doing this in the first place, it was classic Charlie talking me into something like this. But she didn't force me to do this, a part of me needed to be here, I had to ask for forgiveness.

I raised my hand and was just about to ring the doorbell when the door flew open. "Kurt." I said dumbfounded. Did I have leeway to be dumbfounded? I mean I did come here to see him I just didn't expect him to open the door so quickly. Oh god I'm not prepared and he's waiting for me to say something. What do I say? "Funny seeing you here." Weak joke, I wouldn't blame him for slamming the door in my face right now, but he didn't.

Instead, he took a step back and said, "Come on in." Like I was Santa Clause. I followed him into his perfectly designed house. If I was crafty and ballsy like Santana I would have made a joke about gay men being great at interior design. He offered me a seat at the island in his kitchen, and he gave me coffee without even asking how I took it. I'd been to the Lima Bean too often because he made it just how I liked it.

"I bet you're wondering why I'm at your house." I said after a long awkward silence.

"Yeah I was wondering why I saw you walking up and down my steps like that. I thought maybe you needed a change of scenery for a cardio workout but then I thought, nope you've just gone crazy." I guess I deserved that in a strange way.

"I came here to talk to you actually." I said taking a sip of the coffee he'd made me.

"Oh well then how could I not humor you? It's not everyday that Quinn Fabray shows up at my house. I'm feeling pretty special right now, getting the time and attention from you." How was it that he was complimenting me and making me feel like crap all at the same time?

"I owe you something." I told him.

"What? What are you talking about?" He questioned curiously. Why wasn't he mad at me? When was he going to slap me? Or throw me out of his house? Why'd he let me in so willingly?

"Last year was rough for us." I said and Kurt chuckled like I was making a joke. "I'm minimizing your hurt and pain from it all-." Kurt stood up out of his seat and kicked the chair. I watched it fall to the ground, it wasn't scary for me, it was just emotional. I didn't like emotional.

"I went to therapy Quinn so don't tell me how it was, okay!" I nodded and that seemed to calm him down a little bit. "I didn't mean to snap at you." Wait I needed to stop him from apologizing to me. It was supposed to be the other way around.

"You have every right to do that, you should be angry…that's why I want to apologize, and I'm not even expecting you to listen to what I have to say. But last year…we were freshman and you were the queer kid that everyone picked on. I wanted to become popular and I thought making fun of you was the only way to be popular. I shouldn't have hurt you but I did and I am truly sorry for doing that to you." It wasn't what I'd written out this morning, I had a beautifully phrased speech, but now I just sounded like an idiot. I looked down at my hands, afraid that if I caught Kurt's eyes then I'd burst out and cry like I always end up doing.

"You weren't like the rest of them, you never did it out of hate, you did it out of obligation. Anyone could see that." Was it wrong that I wanted to hug him? He was perceptive like Santana and that was something that I admired.

"But I didn't know it at the time, I didn't know until-."

"Charlie came out." He finished for me. "Everything changes when it's someone you love." He was too understanding he was too sweet for his own good. I reached out and grabbed Kurt's hand holding it tightly. He squeezed my hand and smiled at me as if we'd been friends for years.

"I never thought about it like that. I thought I was just a bitch." I said laughing along with Kurt.

"You're not a bitch you're a high strung bitch. I'm a sassy bitch. Bitches be everywhere." Kurt grinned and pulled me into a hug. "Let me have my moment of happiness and then you can tell me why Charlie is hiding in your car dressed like the pink haired Unabomber." Like I said he was perceptive.

"Oh…right, see now this part you might not like." We both pulled back from the hug simultaneously and Kurt waited for me to continue. "We both think it would be good if you went to go see Dave."

"Dave? Karofsky? What kind of dumb idea is that?" I figured he'd react like this, which was why I thought Charlie should be the one doing this, not me. I wasn't good at convincing people, usually I just said something and someone did it for me, Kurt didn't look like he was changing his mind anytime soon.

"I thought you'd say that and I know I won't be able to force you into this, but…people deserve second chances. I bullied you because I was selfish and stupid; Dave bullied you because he was terrified of himself." I pressed the palm of my hands against the hot coffee mug, feeling the heat go through my whole body. I stood up hoping that my words could change something in him, the way he was looking at me let me know that he was thinking about caving in. "Anyway even if this was Santana's idea in the first place that doesn't mean that Charlie and I aren't completely behind you on whatever you choose to do."

"Seeing Dave was Santana's idea?" He questioned with his eyes widening at the thought. "But…why?"

"Because she has a heart, because all she does is give, and if she thinks this is a good idea then you should trust her. She understands hurt more than she understands love and sure that makes her guarded but it also means she knows exactly what to do and when to do it."

…

Santana's POV

It was weird being in a house where everyone genuinely looked happy and their playful banter filled the kitchen without the occasional Spanish interlude or the occasional angry retort. It was like one of those families that they show on _JCPENNY _commercials and it almost made me sick. I was jealous. I was disgustingly jealous, but I didn't let it show.

"Rachel, can you set the table." It was the first thing Hiram had said since we'd walked down here 38 seconds ago. Then he looked up and saw me and I knew I was in for it just by the way his eyebrows furrowed for that half second. I didn't expect him to trust me on the first day, but I certainly didn't think I deserved to not be trusted. "Hello there." Hiram said walking over and shaking my hand. "I'm Hiram Berry."

"I'm Santana, nice to meet you Mr. Berry." Hiram smiled and looked over at Leroy who held back a laugh.

"You're not allowed to call me Mr. Berry, Santana, because saying Mr. Berry to two different people might get a little confusing." Hiram thought he had me beat, he wore the same expression that Charlie did when she thought she'd outsmarted me.

"I suppose, but that's why I call him Dr. Berry." Rachel laughed and so did Leroy but I could tell that Hiram was the type to take offense to being outsmarted. Sure I might have been out of place, I shouldn't have said that because now I've screwed over my first impression, but I had to take chances sometimes.

"You'd better watch out daddy she's quick witted, it's one of her most endearing qualities." I looked down at my shoes suddenly feeling like I was the center of attention. Rachel had called me out, she'd called on of my qualities _endearing_, no one had ever said something like that about me.

Truth be told I had a decent track record with parents. Mr. and Mrs. Fabray might be apprehensive towards me but they still welcomed me into their home and fed me, a lot. The Pierces adored me and were better parents to me than my own.

"It's true she's more laid back than her father, Dr. Lopez is a very serious man." Leroy said as he flipped a _vegan_ burger on the pan and poured Hiram a glass of wine. I tried not to look so uptight at the mention of my father's name but I was dreading the whole meal if we were going to talk about my family and me the whole time. That'd be like a whole hour of pure lying.

"More like an asshole." I muttered. I thought I was in the clear when the Berry men's expressions didn't change, they clearly didn't hear me, but Rachel tensed and looked over at me with worried eyes. I couldn't muster up the strength to look apologetic so I just tried to ignore Rachel's worry. The food was nearly ready and all of us, minus Leroy who was manning the stove, took our seats at the table. I eyed Hiram's glass of wine, wondering if I would calm down if I had some myself.

"Sorry Santana, you gotta be 21 and over." Hiram said with a smile. I blushed and Leroy came to the table with the food, serving us each individually.

"I thought vodka was more your thing." Thank God, I hadn't taken that sip of my water otherwise I'd be spitting it clear across the table. I turned and looked at Rachel who was trying her best not to look suspicious, but failing miserably at it.

"We sort of have a policy at home about telling each other everything." Rachel said. I wanted to cry. To genuinely cry. I told Rachel things that I didn't want her parents knowing. About her dad saving my life, about me trying to kill myself, it wasn't fair of her to just turn around and tell them.

"Everything?" I asked.

"No not everything of course, we wouldn't want to breach your trust, but if she stays out past her curfew then she'd obligated to tell us about what happened." Leroy explained.

"Well lucky for me I don't even remember what happened." I didn't expect them to laugh at my joke, but they did. It was so weird having people actually care about what I had to say.

There were two things I liked the most about eating with the Berry family. One, they allowed everyone to speak their mind. Two, I was incredibly surprised by how delicious the vegan food was.

"So Santana, you're on the Cheerios, is that correct?" Leroy asked.

"Yeah, mostly by obligation, my two best friends sort of got me to do it. It's fun most of the time and it's the only team thing I've done since middle school soccer." I explained.

"So you're on the cheerleading squad, you're a great student, and you're beautiful. Sounds like the makings of a pretty popular girl." Hiram said taking a sip of his wine. Rachel shifted uncomfortably in her chair.

"I guess…" I said knowing exactly where this is going, but hoping he'd just drop it before it got there.

"Santana doesn't get into that drama daddy, so leave her alone." Rachel defended.

"You know, Santana, for some reason you look so incredibly familiar. I know I work with your father and we've probably met before at reception dinners, but…gosh I don't know what it is. It's something different." I bit down on my lower lip wondering if he'd just figure it out himself.

"You should just tell him, he'll go crazy if he doesn't figure it out." Rachel said nudging me.

"We've met before." I started. "I mean not like formally or anything." I paused wondering how exactly you tell someone that they saved your life. Why aren't there manuals for this? Why hasn't Oprah had a special on this shit? "I was in the hospital. My friend Brittany had pulled me out of a lake…she thought I was dead, I was dead-."

"You were dead for 3 minutes; Dr. Rowland called your time of death. It was the most incredible thing I've ever witnessed. I can't believe that was you." Rachel and Hiram watched us, they were right next to us, but it seemed like they were miles away. Right now, it was just Leroy Berry and I, trying to figure out how we could ever see one another in the same way.

"Bringing someone back to life…that practically makes you Jesus." I said trying to ease the tension.

"Yeah, like my little gay Jesus." Hiram agreed causing us all to erupt into a fit of laughter.

This was a day I'd always remember. The day that Rachel Berry and her family proved to me how much I truly missed love and how much I just wanted to open up to someone. Lucky me, I had Rachel Berry right in front of me.

**Review Please.**


	21. Open Door Policy

**Sorry for the delay. ****Anyway like I said this chapter starts the Glee Club and it looks like it's not going to be that easy getting ride of it like the Unholy Trinity thought, especially when they see who's in it.**

Charlie's POV

I didn't feel ready for this, not in any way shape or form. It was premature, for both Kurt and I, but it'd be the only chance we'd get. It's not like we could go over his house for tea or something, we were here for something and it wasn't to suddenly become best friends. That would never happen and truthfully, I didn't want it to.

Dave had hurt a lot of people, and every single time I looked at Kurt, I keep seeing this fragile freshman boy who had to deal with hate every single day. That wasn't going to go away. Quinn came into the hospital with us, she said she'd be in the waiting room just in case Kurt or I needed her.

I just hoped that we wouldn't.

I also hoped that Kurt was going to be all right. I was the tough one here, that wasn't new information, but Kurt just looked so damn uncomfortable. I didn't want to put him through this if he didn't want to, that wouldn't be fair of me.

"Hey, are you okay?" I asked Kurt stopping him before we got to Dave's room. Kurt was never this quiet, and right now I could use his sarcasm or at least a bit of sass, but it didn't look like I was going to be getting either anytime soon. "Look I'll go in there first. You go and grab yourself some coffee, in 15 minutes I'll come out and get you if you want to come in." Kurt nodded and rubbed the back of his neck with his hand. He tried turning around but he didn't, or couldn't.

"But you're going to be in there all alone with Dave…" I nodded slowly until I caught on to what he was really saying.

"Oh…look that was last year. That was a different, angrier me…I've grown." I assured Kurt. "Now go before you pee your pants." Kurt laughed and so did I. I watched him rush off down the hallway and I walked over to Dave's hospital room. I put my hand on the door, wondering if I could just set everything aside for just a few moments, just look at Dave like a person, not like a bully.

I opened the door slowly, slowly enough for me to hear the squeak of the bed as he sat up, slowly enough for me to see the shock register in his eyes, as he looked direction at me. I closed the door behind me and walked over to stand in front of Dave's bed.

It was almost comical how small he looked, especially right now in this moment, and truthfully, I wanted to laugh at him. I really wanted to laugh. He'd spent his whole life breaking people down, making them feel so small, and now, that's exactly what Dave was.

"What are you doing here?" He questioned. I tried to pinpoint the emotion in his voice. It would be too easy if it was anger, but it wasn't. It wasn't fear, nor annoyance, it wasn't persistent or ruthless. It was nothing. His voice held no emotion.

"I'm visiting you." I said trying to lighten the mood.

"No, I mean what are _you_ doing here? You hate me." He said clenching his jaw shut. I looked down at the thin cover over his legs, then his hospital wear, and then…his neck. I could see the red mark, the faint indent of a buckle, and it made my legs feel like jello.

"I don't hate you." I told him moving towards the side of his bed. He scooted his back against the headboard and watched me. I could tell he was waiting for me to say something else, but I wasn't in a rush. "It'd be way too easy to hate you."

"So I don't get it. Are you going to be like everyone else? Come in here look at me and pretend like you care? I got that bullshit from half the football team. When they come in here they pretend like they support me…I guarantee that won't last long." I shrugged, I wasn't actually here to listen to him spew his guts out for me, I didn't know what to say to make this better for him.

"Well lucky for you I don't actually care about you and I'm not going to stand here and lie about that." He bit back a smirk and so did I. Dave and I could really hold a contest of wits, and now was the time to show it. "Look what happened to you was awful-."

"But I deserved it, I know. I've heard it enough times already-." I couldn't believe he actually thought that and I could've believe people actually had the nerve to tell him that.

"No one deserves that, Dave, no one." I interjected. His eyes began brimming with water and I looked away from him to keep myself from falling apart too. "You hurt a lot of people Dave, but…I almost hurt you."

"You almost killed me." He corrected. He said it like somehow, we'd never have ended up in this room if it weren't for me. And yeah, maybe that's true. If I hadn't gotten expelled then maybe Kurt wouldn't have left, and you know what if that happened then this whole situation would be flipped upside down. Kurt would be the one in the hospital bed in front of me, not Dave.

"You made me see what a monster I could be and you made me feel so disgusting about myself. What you are…or what you used to be, I hated it. I hated you. But then for that split second when I really thought about killing you…it changed me. It changed everything." I bit down on the inside of my cheek just to make sure I didn't scream at him. I wanted to but I couldn't. That was my problem, I resorted to anger too quickly, it's always gotten me into trouble.

"So then why are you here? If you don't care about me, why did you even take the time out of your day to come here?" I starred into his eyes and wondered, what made him tick? What made him so alone in the world that he couldn't stand to live in it any longer?

"I'm here because it could just as easily be Kurt in your shoes. It could just as easily be me."

"But you're not…you're not gay." He said with this tone that made him sound so sure of himself. I wondered what it was about me that made people assume so much. They assume that I was just going through a punk phase. They assumed that I was some idiot. And most of all, they assumed that just because I was a pastor's daughter, that I could never in a million years be gay.

"I came out recently." I don't know why I said that in a hushed tone, there was no one else around, but I just didn't feel comfortable enough to say it loudly. "So as you can imagine, something like this happening to you sort of freaked me out." That was an understatement. It terrified me. I wasn't out at my school, and frankly, I didn't know what would happen when I finally came out.

What if someone pushed me out of the closet like Finn did to Dave?

"This wasn't something that happened to me Charlie. It was something that _I _did to myself." A single tear fell down his cheek and I watched as it slipped and fell to his bed sheet.

"You're lucky, you're one lucky son of a bitch, but that doesn't mean you can't learn something from all of this." I told him sincerely.

"Oh yeah and what should I learn? Use a gun next time-."

"Your dad found you right?" I questioned cutting him off completely. "He found you and you can never imagine what kind of pain he's going through right now. He's scared and hurt, but most of all he feels like he failed because you didn't go to him for help. That's the worst thing a parent can ever feel." Dave looked away from me and I knew I hit a nerve. And that was my point. "I know you and I can never forget last year, and that's okay. It'll take awhile for you to forgive me and that's okay."

"Why is it okay? I mean why are you okay with this?" He questioned.

"Because I'm offering you someone to talk to." I explained to him. He didn't seem to understand or maybe he just didn't believe me.

"You want me to talk to you about this stuff?" Dave asked.

"I guess technically I'm offering you two people to talk to." He looked confused and I patted his shoulder to relax him before he could freak out. "There's someone out there who you need to talk to. I apologized to you and now it's your turn to apologize to Kurt." His face went pale.

"What makes you think he'd ever listen to me? I made his life hell." This was the first time I saw this kind of passion in Dave. It was strange to see him so worried, so childlike, because he wanted to talk to Kurt. I could tell that much, but he wanted Kurt to listen to him more than anything.

"Yeah well now your life is hell so karma came back and got you. So let's stop all this, we can all work together you know. We're all facing the same battle, we'll get through this, we just have to be here for one another."

…...

Rachel's POV

"Are you sure I'm not imposing?" It was probably the fourth time Santana has asked that tonight. I wish she'd just stop worrying, but ever since dinner she's sort of been on her toes. I wanted her to feel comfortable, but there was that guarded part of her that was just so afraid of being hurt.

"Of course not, tomorrow my dad will just take us both to school; it's not a big deal. Plus I'm rather excited that you're over here. It's not everyday that I can say one of the most popular girls in school came over." Santana smiled and my heart warmed just that much more. I know she'd probably kill me if I said this, but she was kind of adorable in her own way. Not like a puppy, but more like this little piece of innocence was in her and every time it showed up there was a slight sparkle in her eyes.

"I um…I don't have anything to sleep in." She said bashfully looking away.

"Why are you suddenly passive aggressive? I thought you slept over Quinn's and Brittany's houses all the time." I asked as I bent over and rummaged through my pajama drawer looking for something that would fit Santana.

"That's different. B keeps a spare pair of matching duck pajamas and at Quinn's place I'm usually stoned and I wear whatever I wore during the day or I take off my shirt and pants and sleep like that. Neither place is really as classy as your house." I pulled out an oversized t-shirt and pajama pants and turned to show Santana.

Her eyes were already on me. Was she…? No that's preposterous.

"Do these work for you?" I had a feeling that if I told Santana that I needed a pint of her blood she would've personally gone and gotten the needle for me. She was just accommodating and sweet, and I could tell that she had been trying to make a good impression all night, even when my fathers weren't here.

"Yeah…I'll be right back." She took the clothes from me and went down the hall towards the bathroom. I walked over, threw on my boy shorts and a tank top, and sat on my bed comfortably, waiting for Santana to return.

She'd barley been out of my room for five seconds when my daddy walked in. "Hey there, so how about that Santana, huh? I'm a fan and I approve." I looked at my daddy and ran over to try to push him out of my room.

"Stop, if she comes back and you're here she's going to be so uncomfortable. Daddy please go." He raised his hands defensively and slowly waltz out of my room. I returned to my place on the bed and then Santana came in the room changed and refreshed.

"You don't mind if I stay in here? Even if you have a guest room?" Santana asked, taking a seat on the bed next to me.

"There's no fan in the guest room, I want to make sure you're comfortable." I lied. If Santana wanted to point out that, it was the fall and no one needed a fan she certainly didn't make it known. She seemed alright with sharing the bed with me even if we were both a little nervous. I got up and turned off my light, thankful for the open drapes and the beautiful moonlight outside. I walked back to my bed and got under the covers next to Santana.

I noticed Santana's irregular breaths next to me. It wasn't alarming or worrisome, it was just unique. I wondered how bad her asthma really was, but I reserved the question in the back of my mind for tomorrow. When her breathing evened out I assumed she'd gone to sleep.

I propped myself up on my elbows and examined Santana with the help of the moonlight. Her features were accented in a way that reminded me of an old film noire movie. She wasn't flawless, I could still see the faint cut near her eyebrow, and the purplish hue just below her eye. It was beautiful in a traumatic sort of way.

I wondered what it would be like in school tomorrow. A sleepover changes the friendship entirely, but I wonder how Santana felt about that. I had a feeling that it'd just end up being the same old song and dance. We were sort of stuck between this acquaintance and friendship thing. I hope someday we'd get past it. I hoped someday soon.

…...

Quinn's POV

Today had been a long day. I had a French test, which I thoroughly bombed, and then lunch was pitiful. Brittany and I spent our entire Spanish class pinching one another just to stay awake and even then Mr. Shuester wasn't exactly making anything exciting. I was almost grateful that it was almost the end of the day, but then I realize, next period is activities period, and that means Glee Club.

I was literally considering building myself a bridge and jumping off it.

I tried to at least pretend I was excited when Brittany came skipping over to me and wrapped her arm around my shoulder. "We get to go to Glee Club in a few minutes! Aren't you excited?"

"Yeah B, totally." I lied as I scanned the hallway for Santana. I know she said she was changing into her normal clothes to be more comfortable, but we didn't have all day. I didn't understand why she did that, she'd just have to change back into her Cheerios uniform before practice anyway. "We'll just wait for Santana here." I informed her.

"Do you think we'll be dancing today?" Brittany asked trying to hold back her excitement until I answered.

"Well the club has only been going for like three days; I doubt they'll be enough people there to do much of anything." I tried explaining, but when Brittany started frowning, I added quickly, "but if you want to dance no one would dream of stopping you." Brittany smiled at that and I looked over to see Santana walking down the hall in her street clothes. Somehow, she always made black sweatpants, a white tank top, and a black beanie always look cool.

I envied her swag. I also should probably never say swag aloud, that's how plain I felt.

"I love when you wear hats." Brittany said taking Santana's hand and pulling us both towards the choir room. Santana was beyond less than enthused and she told Brittany to slow down right when we were about to enter the room.

"Come on." Maybe this was going to be the most frustrating thing ever but I was not about to walk in here like I was nervous or afraid. I reached back, tightened my ponytail, and put my hands on my hips. I walked in confidently and I knew Santana and Brittany were behind me.

As soon as we entered the room all eyes were immediately drawn to us, including Mr. Shuester. He walked right in front of us with a huge smile on his face.

"Hi ladies, are you thinking about joining Glee Club?" He asked with a little more shock than I would've liked. I looked over his shoulder as saw Mike Chang, Tina What's-her-name, Mercedes-from-Spanish-class, some kid in a wheelchair, Rachel-the-bain-of-my-existance-Berry, and Puck.

I couldn't even respond to Mr. Shuester I was so shocked. What on earth was Puck doing here? Santana saw Puck at the same time and decided to step up.

"Yeah we were thinking about it." Santana answered for me. I was looking at Puck, but Santana seemed slightly distracted by Rachel, but it figures she'd be here. Clearly, Santana had no idea. I could sense it, she was having second thoughts about the whole thing.

"What are you guys doing here?" Puck said from where he was seated in a chair. I furrowed my eyebrows and glared right at him.

"We could ask you the same thing Puckerman." Santana remarked snidely.

"Can you blame us for being a little curious? I mean top bitches don't usually climb down the social ladder unless there's something in it for them." Mercedes said getting nods from Tina and the wheelchair kid.

"Now guys that's not very nice. This is supposed to be a welcoming club and that means we don't turn anyone away. It's what we voted on from the beginning." Mr. Shuester defended for us. They should feel lucky that Santana didn't snap otherwise some of them would probably be in tears right about now.

"I agree with Mr. Shuester, this club welcomes all." Rachel said locking eyes with me.

"Thank you Berry." I said blowing past Mr. Shuester. We took the seats in the back of the stands and waited patiently for Mr. Shuester to begin.

"Now ladies it's the policy of the club that everyone must tryout before we let you in." I rolled my eyes and Santana scuffed.

"I thought you said that everyone was welcome to just join." Santana said dryly.

"Everyone is…as long as they perform first." Mr. Shuester said clasping his hands together like this was the greatest law since the Ten Commandments.

"Yeah we all had to perform." The wheelchair kid said looking at me like I'd just walked through a wall.

"I'm sorry what's your name?" I questioned rudely. I was trying to stay civil but that didn't mean I was above putting people in their place.

"Artie." He said quietly. I was about to say something crude but Santana tapped my knee and starred at me seriously.

"Don't." She said and I crossed my arms over my chest and gave _Artie_ a cold bitch smirk before I looked up at Mr. Shuester. "Sure we'll perform, but…we don't have something prepared right now. Can we do it on Monday?" Santana asked kindly.

"Of course ladies, that sounds great. No does anyone else have something prepared for today?" Mr. Shuester asked. I zoned out to the conversation Mercedes, Rachel, and Mr. Shuester were having and looked over at Puck. He was staring up at me and he gave me an irritated expression. He mouthed _what are you up to_ and I mouthed back _nothing_.

"Actually Mr. Shuester I do have something prepared for today." Rachel said standing up to her feet. There was an audible groan from just about everyone in the room, and I stifled a laugh.

"Who's it by?" Mike asked.

"Barbra?" Artie questioned.

"Probably Barbra." Mercedes replied.

"Who the hell is Barbra?" I asked and everyone in the room turned and stared at me like I was crazy. Well everyone except Brittany.

"Barbra Streisand." Santana told me like it was common knowledge. "She's a famous singer." She added.

"Barbra is perfection, and as today is October 24th and it's Barbra's half-birthday I'd like to perform _Happy Days Are Here Again_." Rachel stood in front of the room and the piano player began performing a slow tune.

Now it was the second time I decided to zone out. Everyone was paying attention to Rachel even Brittany who had some intense ADHD was looking ahead at her. Sure Rachel was a good singer, in fact she was phenomenal, but I just hoped that Santana would just ignore that fact and continue on with the plan.

_You are now a thing of the past__  
Happy days are here again__  
The skies above are clear again__  
So let's sing a song of cheer again_

Hey those were actually some pretty good lyrics, I looked up at Rachel as saw how deeply she felt the words that she was singing. That seemed like it was something special. I mostly sang in the shower and in Charlie's room when she was being a downer just to cheer her up. I never thought of it seriously.

The song finished quickly, it was short but not simple, and everyone, including me, applauded Rachel. She smiled and took a quick bow before returning to her seat.

"Fantastic job Rachel." Mr. Shuester said grabbing a handful of papers and standing in front of the group of us.

"Thank you Mr. Shuester." Rachel replied with a bashful smile, I rolled my eyes, and tried to see what was on those sheets of paper Mr. Shuester was holding.

"Now guys, as you can see we only have 9 people in Glee Club and while that's great, especially with our new additions….it's not enough to compete." Mr. Shuester started as he handed out the sheets of paper to each of us. "12 is the magic number which is why we'll be performing this song in front of the school to gain new recruits." I looked at the piece of paper in front of me. It was sheet music and lyrics for _We Built This City_ by Jefferson Starship.

"Is this a joke?" Santana asked speaking up.

"I'm sorry I don't understand." Mr. Shuester said looking just as confused as Brittany looks in math class.

"What Lopez is trying to say is this song is whack." Puck said tossing the sheet music behind him. "If we go up there and perform this we're gonna get booed off stage."

"I agree t-this is suicide." Tina said looking towards Mike who nodded.

"Can't we perform something more recent? The students would relate to it much better if we did." Rachel said with a pleading tone.

"Sorry guys but I've already chosen this song." Mr. Shuester said in a way that didn't leave an opening to argue about it.

"What happened to a democracy?" Santana muttered under her breath.

"This is social suicide." I said to Santana.

"I think it's fun." Brittany interjected and Santana and I both shared fake smiles.

I should've known from the beginning, this little ploy wasn't going to be easy. My life was exciting enough as it is, I didn't need some goddamn Glee Club imposing and ruining everything that I've worked for.

**Review Review Review**


	22. Grace's Vegan Hut

**In this chapter the girls perform for Glee and Santana finally does what she promised.**

Charlie's POV

The floor had been literally vibrating for the past hour. I closed my eyes and sighed loudly, aggravated that I had to get up right now. Maybe I wasn't the straight A student like Santana was, but I still had to get homework done. It was just like Quinn to have music blasting throughout the house with no regars for anyone else just because our parents were out at a formal dinner.

I opened my door and walked across the hall to Quinn's closed door. I could hear the song _Waterfalls_ by TLC blasting through the door and I rolled my eyes. I opened the door and found Quinn standing in the middle of the floor spinning in a circle while Brittany clapped and Santana looked bored.

"What the hell are you guys doing?" I asked walking over and turning down the volume on Quinn's Mac laptop. Quinn spun to a stopping point in front of me and paused the song.

"We're looking for a song to perform tomorrow." Quinn said like I was supposed to understand half of that. I looked over at Brittany who was holding a notepad and a pencil and looking up at Quinn patiently.

"I thought cheerleaders generally cheered." I said looking at each girl standing before me.

"Wow Char that is brand new information." Santana said sarcastically. "This isn't for the Cheerios, this is for Glee club, don't ask." She added with a way of her hand.

"So you guys are singing _Waterfalls_?" I asked them.

"It's on the list." Quinn said pointing to the notepad, that Brittany was holding in her hand. I shrugged deciding not to ask too many questions. So they were singing a song, okay whatever, it's not the craziest thing I've ever heard. "We're trying to figure out something so we won't be scrambling at the end. We may not want to be in this stupid Glee Club but that doesn't mean we have to be tacky." _Glee Club_?

"How about _Airplanes_?" Brittany suggested.

"But that has rapping in it, that's def not gonna happen. Unless you wanna try that Quinn." Santana said with a smirk. Quinn rolled her eyes and went back over to her iTunes playlist. "Why can't we just sing _Do Re Mi_ and call it a fucking day?" Brittany bit back a laugh but I couldn't hold it in.

"If we go up there sounding like a bunch of losers in front of a bunch of losers then I'll personally punch Figgins in the face just to get kicked out of school…no offense Charlie." Quinn said adding the last part as more of an afterthought. I crossed my arms over my chest feeling very offended that she'd joke about getting expelled.

"Offense taken." I muttered as I walked over and took a seat between Brittany and Santana. Quinn switched songs and Adele's _Someone Like You_ came on.

"I love this song." I said looking over at Santana instinctively. She eyed me curiously for a moment before turning back to Quinn. I didn't realize that things would be awkward between Santana and I now, but I guess it's what I should expect.

"We aren't singing this, first off it'd be like us going up there and punching a baby, sad shit, and secondly this would be like a solo and as much as I would like to show you both up, this is supposed to be a group thing." I could tell that Santana was stressed out by the way she was ranting. She was about three syllables away from breaking out into full on Spanish. She looked like she wanted to be somewhere else, but Quinn and Brittany didn't notice.

"Look it's 7 o'clock we've been at this for an hour, why can't we just choose something?" Quinn pleaded.

"Because Britt's like Madonna, you're like Lana Del Rey, and I'm Amy Winehouse, it's hard finding something we can all agree on and sing well." Santana explained. "Look let's just find something upbeat and fun."

"How about _Forget You_?" I suggested. The room fell completely silent and I thought for a moment that they were all going to shut me down for imposing. Instead, slowly but surely, smiles spread across their faces.

"You're a fucking genius." Santana told me and I beamed.

"I have my moments." I said with a sly grin. "Now if you ladies will excuse me I'm going to grab snacks." I said standing up and walking towards Quinn's door.

"With the amount of carbs you eat, how are you not bursting at the seams?" Quinn asked playfully.

"Leave her alone." Santana defended for me. "I'm coming with." I was a little more than surprised that Santana followed me downstairs, after that weird look she'd given me earlier, but I didn't mind. I grabbed a bag of pretzels and chips, while Santana grabbed _Chex Mix_ and a pack of popcorn.

"I'm sorry." She said as we were waiting for the popcorn to pop and we were dumping all the snacks into one big bowl.

"For?" I questioned unsure if I was supposed to know what she was sorry about.

"For giving you that look earlier when you walked into Quinn's room. I know you noticed it because of that dejected stare you gave me." She grabbed a chip and ate it before looking back up at me. "Things shouldn't be weird between us…I won't let that happen." She said quietly.

"Why? What's the difference?" I asked realizing right now how much tension there was between us.

"I care too much about you." She said as she brushed past me and took the popcorn out of the microwave. She opened the hot bag of cooked kernels and dumped them into the bowl alone with the other stuff. "It wasn't fair okay, what you did…telling me that you _like _me? Look at it from my prospective, one of my best friends saying something like that…there are things I want to change in my life right now, but _us_ as friends, that's one thing I've always known I can count on. That can't change."

"Why are you bringing this up? I thought you said to just forget the whole thing." I said with a confused expression.

"Because I know that if we didn't talk about this then it'd always be hanging over us." She said with a sigh.

"It'll still be hanging over my head though; you're not an easy girl to get over San." Santana blushed but quickly covered her face so I wouldn't see. "Are you blushing?"

"Tell anyone and die." Santana threatened. "God you're a frustrating pest Charlie Fabray." Santana said in her playful voice.

"That I am Santana Lopez that I am."

…

Rachel's POV

I cannot even begin to describe my emotions when Santana, Quinn, and Brittany entered the room. It was excitement, it was shock, it was pure happiness and everything in between. I couldn't believe the three most popular girls in school wanted to be in my club. Well not my club, technically Mr. Shuester was in charge, but it was my idea.

Singing had always been my biggest passion, with theater and dance right behind. It was amazing having a club filled with people who shared some of my same passion. When I walked down the hallway, I tried to catch sight of Santana but I saw her talking to Brittany, and they were standing so close that I felt I'd be intruding if I said something.

"Hey Rachel, can I talk to you for a moment?" Noah asked walking from behind me and stopping so that he was standing right in front of my face. I was more than irritated that he was blocking my view of Santana and Brittany, but I didn't let it show, I didn't think it'd be smart to upset him. If we lost Puck in Glee club then we'd lose a very important male voice.

"Why hello Noah, how are you doing today?" I asked him giving him my best and brightest smile.

"No time for small talk, I'm here to warn you-."

"About what? A slushy? Are they going to pour pigs blood on me like Carrie?" I asked pushing myself closer to the lockers to my left and scanning the hallway for large groups of jocks or cheerleaders.

"I don't know who Carrie is, but I do know that the Glee Club is getting set up somehow." Puck said. I raised an eyebrow at him and chuckled.

"While I'm slightly amused that you'd think the Glee Club is important enough for it's own conspiracy theory I'm also worried about your health." I told him wishing that I was a bit shorter so I could see if Santana was still standing over there.

"No Rachel seriously, would you listen to me-."

"Is there a problem here?" I jumped a little in my shoes when Santana, seemingly, appeared next to Noah out of nowhere. She glared at Noah and he looked nervous under her stare.

"No, Noah's just being silly." I told Santana. "So are you coming to Glee today?" I asked Santana, biting my lip, a little worried that maybe she showed up to Glee as a one off and it was all a big hoax.

"I wouldn't miss it for the world." Santana said with a warm smile. "Um excuse me Puckerman. I would prefer if you'd leave now." Noah scowled but didn't protest any longer before he walked away. I smiled to myself feeling like Santana was actually trying to protect me by making Noah leave. She was like an overprotective big sister, not that I'd know how that felt though. "How was your weekend Rachel?" She asked nonchalantly.

"Relatively uneventful, I didn't see you at the hospital." I realized that it sounded sort of pitiful when I said it like that. Like I was desperate to see her at a hospital of all places. We'd had a sleepover already, we were beyond chance meetings I think.

"I was at Quinn's coming up with a song." She said smiling as I smiled. She had a beautiful smile when she was sincere about it; her smirk was a little less endearing unless it was playful. "Are you about to work on homework or something?" She asked. I looked down at the books I was holding in my hands and then shook my head no. "Let's go for a drive, I mean I'd do just about anything not to be stuck at school right now."

_Yes!_ Say yes, I told myself, but I couldn't stop my face from looking completely indecisive.

"We have a free period now and then lunch, that's two hours of nothing." She pulled her keys out of her pocket and twirled them around her fingers. I could tell she wasn't going to ask again or beg, she'd go with or without me.

I opened my locker and threw my books in urging Santana to lead the way towards her car. There was a noticeable difference in Santana's attitude today. She seemed more reserved and possibly laid back.

No that wasn't it.

It was more like she was going out of her way to be nice to me, she wasn't saying cryptic things or pushing me away. When I got into the passenger's side of the car and Santana started the engine I looked over at her. "Do you do this often?" I asked her when we pulled out of the school parking lot and started driving north.

"Just when I want to relax." She said letting down her window.

"Kurt called me on Saturday; he explained how he went to visit Dave and how they're actually talking like friends now. He says it was your idea." Santana bit her bottom lip and shrugged.

"Yeah it was my idea, but…Charlie did all the convincing probably." Santana said modestly.

"Quinn too apparently." I told her, she raised an eyebrow and smiled. "I was just as surprised, but…I'm impressed with you. Very valiant I must say, even if you didn't do all the leg work." I could see her fighting back a smile out of the corner of my eyes and that made me feel giddy.

"So for Glee Club, you know like when you perform…does everyone like judge you or something?" I could hear the light tremble in her voice and I knew she was nervous about the whole thing.

"No it's all support no matter what. Besides, I think you three will do fine, better than fine actually." I said with an encouraging smile. "Are you nervous?" I asked her quietly, unsure of how she would react. I hoped she would say that she was, just so I'd have an excuse to reach out and cover her hand with mine.

"I shouldn't be right?" She asked sounding uncertain. "But I think I am."

"I've got techniques I use for stage fright, if you want me to show you some." I offered. Santana turned into a parking lot and I looked up to see where we were. We were parked in front of Grace's Vegan Hut, the place that Santana has been trying to take me out to for an entire week. To say that I was excited was an understatement. I was absolutely filled with joy and Santana could tell.

"I felt bad about everything that kept coming up, and a promise is a promise, I owe you." She took her keys out of the ignition and we both got out of the car together. The restaurant was exactly what you'd expect from a vegan place, cozy and intimate, filled partially with feminist and the other part hipsters. I notice that Santana wasn't in her Cheerios uniform, and I'd been seeing her less and less in it.

She fit into the whole hipster scene especially with her hand woven bracelets she had on and her black beanie. I'd ask her about those bracelets later, I assured myself.

We were seated right next to the window; Santana asked for that spot, she must be the gazing type. I ordered this sweet tangerine tea while Santana settled for coffee. I thought about the differences between Kurt and Santana. Kurt would be talking a mile a minute about boys or fashion right now, but Santana just calmly sat there thanking the waitress for the drinks and stirring her coffee and putting sugar in it.

"You're going to have to choose what I'm having. Do you think a flatbread vegan pizza is good?" She asked adorably scrunching up her face at the menu. "I guess it must be, how could someone mess up pizza?"

"It actually sounds really good. How about we get a medium and we'll share?" Santana nodded and folded up both our menus. She waved the waitress over and ordered the vegan pizza for the both of us. "Your bracelets." I said brushing my finger against the thin strings woven together on her wrist. "Did you make them all?" She had three of them. One was purple with white lettering; I moved it around her wrist so I could read it fully: _You Are Purfect_. The other one was blue and gold, but had no words on it, just intricate stars woven perfectly. The last was black with white lettering: _Awake My Soul_. I recognized the reference, _Mumford and Sons_, but I wondered what exactly it meant.

"Brittany made the first one. Sort of like paying homage to her cat I guess. Typical Britt, I hate that cat but I wear it for her." Santana explained. "This one, with the stars, Charlie made it…she was complaining about not being able to make neat letters but only being good at designs. I was just thankful she made me one." Santana hesitated as she looked at the next one and I wondered if I'd actually stumbled upon something that she didn't want to talk about again. "Quinn made this…_Awake My Soul_…like the Mumford song. She made it after she broke my nose. After I tried to off myself. She kept saying the reason I felt so down was because my soul wasn't fully awake yet…she was sort of in a Confucius faze."

"You have some pretty amazing friends." I told her as our food arrived. We each grabbed a slice of the pizza and took bites at the same time.

"Holy fuck this is good." Santana said and I was happy that she enjoyed my type of food.

"I'm glad you like it." I said with a grin. "So are you going to give me a preview as to what you are singing today?" I asked.

"Of course not." She said playfully. "You'll just have to wait and see." She was flirty without even trying to be and I couldn't help but smile every time she said just about anything.

"I'm very impatient." I informed her. "And persistent."

"Well I'm stubborn and everyone knows that'll override anything." She was right and in any case I'd probably end up giving in to her quicker than she would give in to me. "So what do you do when you get stage fright? Punch a wall? Shoot up heroin?" I laughed because I knew she'd probably be able to handle her nerves, but she was just seeing if I'd tell her my secrets.

"The first step is breathing, that's the most important one. Keep a steady breathing pattern and use your diaphragm properly." Santana practiced her breathing in front of me and I smiled. "Secondly, and this one is sort of weird, take off all your clothes and practice the hard parts of your song in front of a mirror." Santana raised her eyebrows.

"Completely naked?"

"Yes. I mean think of the famous dream, when you're in front of a crowd and you're nude. This way you'll already feel like you've faced that fear and nothing will scare you." Santana seemed to understand where I was coming from and that made me feel nice. "Lastly, drink a liter of water at least, not right before but throughout the day. It'll help your mouth not feel so dry."

"So do you still do this stuff? I mean you've been in front of a lot of people in your lifetime, I've seen all your awards." My cheeks reddened and I did everything in my power to refrain from telling her that I'd have to start up these rituals just because of her. There was no way I was going to perform in Glee Club and seem nervous in front of her, everyone would notice that something was wrong.

"I get nervous sometimes." I told her truthfully.

"Hmmm." She said like she was contemplating something. Her phone buzzed on the table and I could see that she'd received a text from Charlie, which she blatantly ignored. What was going on there?

"Something up with you and Charlie?" I asked deciding that it'd be much better to just ask rather than worrying about it.

"Um…I don't know really." I could sense a story behind this, but I couldn't tell. "It's nothing, I just didn't want to be rude to you and start texting."

"You'd better be careful Santana Lopez." She looked up at me with a curious expression.

"Why?"

"Sooner or later you won't be able to hide the fact that you're a total sweetheart."

…

Santana's POV

When I turned the corner to head towards my AP U.S. History class Quinn was standing there with her arms crossed. "Where were you? Brittany made you cookies and she wanted to give them to you at lunch."

"I went out." I told her. "Where are the cookies?" I asked thinking that it'd be worth missing a part of class just to go find Brittany and get them.

"I ate them." Quinn said in a matter of fact tone. "So are you ready for later, I've gone to pee like 8 times today, why am I so damn nervous?" Quinn asked frustrated.

"8 times? You might want to go see a doctor." I advised. "And seriously don't worry; I'm singing lead, so we got this shit."

"Cocky much." Quinn said with a grin.

"You know it."

…

We were in the choir room before I knew it and most of the day had gone by smoothly. I'd aced my history test and I was already a pro at pre civil war stuff so I didn't even have to pay attention. In gym we played dodge ball, I'd taken out a few upperclassmen and two football players, and I felt good about that.

When I walked into the room Rachel was talking to Puck and Mercedes, while Quinn was asking Brittany something. I walked over and took a seat beside Brittany who immediately linked our pinkies together.

Mr. Shuester walked in and from the look on his face I could tell that he was surprised that we showed up again. I frowned at his reaction and looked over at Quinn who shrugged.

Artie wheeled himself in next, followed by Mike and Tina. Now that the whole group was here Mr. Shuester started talking about the budget, or lack of, and the performance that we'd be doing in front of the school tomorrow. No one seemed particularly happy about it but I don't think Mr. Shuester noticed.

"Um Mr. Shuester we'd sorta like to tryout or whatever right now." Quinn said standing up before he even responded.

"Of course girls, take it away."

"Take what away?" Brittany whispered in my ear. I told her not to worry about it. We stood in front of the group and Quinn nodded to the band, and I knew now was the time to just go and sing. Thank God for Rachel's breathing techniques otherwise I probably would have choked.

_I see you drive around town with the girl I love_

_And I'm like forget you_

_I guess the change in my pocket wasn't enough_

_I'm like forget you and forget him too_

I'd never been more thankful for Brittany's dancing than I was right now. Quinn and Brittany were backing me on vocals, but Brittany grabbed my hands and we spun in unison, flowing around the room with Quinn close behind.

_Said, if I was richer, I'd still be with you_

_Ha, now ain't that some sh (ain't that some sh)_

_And although there's pain in my chest_

_I still wish you the best with a forget you_

Puck jumped up along with Mike and Mercedes, each singing the backing vocals with Britt and Quinn.

_Yeah, I'm sorry, I can't afford a Ferrari_

_But that don't mean I can't get you there_

_I guess he's an XBOX and I'm more Atari_

_But the way you play your game ain't fair_

Rachel giggled quietly when I grabbed her hand and pulled her to her feet. I spun her in a circle, jumped up on a chair, and belted out the next lines.

_I pity the fool that falls in love with you_

_Well I've got some news for you_

_Yeah, go run and tell your little boyfriend_

_I see you drive around town with the girl I love_

_And I'm like forget you_

_I guess the change in my pocket wasn't enough_

_I'm like forget you and forget him too_

I wheeled Artie around as we sang the next verse in unison.

_Said, if I was richer, I'd still be with you_

_Ha, now ain't that some sh (ain't that some sh)_

_And although there's pain in my chest_

_I still wish you the best with a forget you_

Quinn and Mercedes took over the next verse and their voices mesh together surprisingly well. Mercedes was powerful while Quinn's was in a higher ranger and raspy, almost sultry.

_Now I know that I had to borrow_

_Beg and steal and lie and cheat_

_Trying to keep you, trying to please you_

_Cause being in love with your ass ain't cheap_

_I pity the fool that falls in love with you_

_Well I've got some news for you_

_Oh, I really hate you right now_

Brittany and Puck joined Mercedes and Quinn in the next lines as Mike crumped in front of us. I couldn't help the smile from forming on my lips.

_I see you drive around town with the girl I love_

_And I'm like forget you_

_I guess the change in my pocket wasn't enough_

_I'm like forget you and forget him too_

_Said, if I was richer, I'd still be with you_

_Ha, now ain't that some sh (ain't that some sh)_

_And although there's pain in my chest_

_I still wish you the best with a forget you_

Artie turned to face me and we sang the next verse. Rachel lead a line around the room and we all danced to the beat.

_Now, baby, baby, baby_

_Why'd you wanna, wanna hurt me so bad?_

_I tried to tell my mama but she told me_

_This is one for your dad_

_Yeah she did, yeah she did_

_Why, why, why baby?_

_Oh, I love you_

_I still love you_

The last lines belong to all of us. The entire group sang together and I didn't realize how amazing we sounded together until now. It was our first time like this and from the smiles on everyone's faces, it certainly wouldn't be the last.

_I see you drive around town with the girl I love_

_And I'm like forget you_

_I guess the change in my pocket wasn't enough_

_I'm like forget you and forget him too_

_Said, if I was richer, I'd still be with you_

_Ha, now ain't that some sh (ain't that some sh)_

_And although there's pain in my chest_

_I still wish you the best with a forget you_

"So uh…are we in or what?" Quinn asked once the final notes rang out in the room.

"I think it's safe to say you're in." Mr. Shuester said clapping his hands together. "That was an amazing performance, from all of you. Tomorrow is going to be amazing. Now I've got a meeting with Principal Figgins to discuss the assembly. You all have the sheet music and the band at your disposal, and judging from your performance here, _We Built This City_ is going to be amazing." Mr. Shuester's optimism would have been great if we didn't all realize what song we had to sing tomorrow.

As soon as Mr. Shuester exited the room we all let out a simultaneous groan.

"Um all in favor of skipping school tomorrow, raise your hand." Puck said. Everyone raised their hand besides Brittany who was still spinning in a circle and Rachel who walked over to stand in front of us.

"Berry save it, we're not singing that God awful song. I'd rather be stoned to death." Quinn said dryly.

"I'm with Barbie on this one." Mercedes said.

"I know, and I agree the song is terrible, which is why we aren't singing it." We all looked around like we were waiting for a punch line. "We're gonna sing a mash up of _Where's the Love_ and _I've Got a Feeling _and we're gonna show the whole school that the Glee Club is here to stay."

**Review Please.**


	23. New Beginnings

**Santana begins to open up more in this chapter and the Glee club performs.**

Santana's POV

I sat in my car with my windows down. The lit cigarette dangled from my mouth as I readjusted my legs so that my left was on top of my right as they hung carelessly out the window. I turned the page on the book I was currently reading: _Velocity_, everyone who knew me well knew that I was a thriller buff.

Quinn had actually bought me this book. Not because she was being kind, she just preferred me when I was silent and reading then when I just stood there overanalyzing shit. At least that was what she told me.

I leaned the driver's seat back a little further and flipped the book upside down, successfully saving my page, while I took a long drag of my cigarette. I blew out a smoke ring and laughed at myself for being such a weird kid.

I blame Brittany for making me this way. All those times when I've had to endure her Lord Tubbington tea parties and unicorn hunts, it's made me into this total geek. Part of me liked it, but most of me just wished I didn't have a soft spot for Brittany. Or for Quinn. Or for Charlie.

Or Rachel.

That was the confusing part for me. Grossly confusing. Disgustingly perplexing. I don't even know Rachel and I care for her. She's just so naïve about everything, not at the level that Brittany is, but she'd at this level where she looks for good in everyone even if it's hard to find. And worst of all she believes in me.

I heard the bell ring on the door of the record store. I looked up and saw Charlie smiling and talking to…oh sweet Jesus. What was Rachel doing here?

"Hey San, look who I found wandering around!" Charlie exclaimed as they both walked over to my window. They looked like two of the happiest people in the world right now, with their records in their hands and cheesy grins on their faces.

"Hi Rachel, sorry you had to run into this asshole." I said pulling my legs back into the car.

"She's so mean to me." Charlie fake mocked. "Anyhow, Rachel here walked to the record store so I offered her a ride home." I wanted to roll my eyes but I didn't. I knew Charlie was just trying to be nice, but I didn't want them both in the car with me. It'd just be weird.

"Sure, I can give you a ride Rachel." I said with a smile.

"First off that's what she said and secondly Rachel you take shotgun." Rachel was charmed by Charlie's humor which was a natural reaction but I just groaned as she slipped into the seat next to me and Charlie took a seat in the back. Charlie reached up and grabbed my book closing it and flinging it into the seat next to her.

"Charlie you fucker! You just lost my page!" Rachel covered her mouth to control her giggles while I glared at Charlie in the mirror.

"See Rachel, told you she was a nerd." Charlie said with a smile. I put out my cigarette and flicked it out the window. I don't know why, but I felt a little irritated with Charlie. What gave her the right to talk to Rachel about me? Why was she even talking to Rachel?

"Oh yeah what else did you tell her?" I asked as I pulled out of the parking space.

"Do I sense some agitation?" Charlie asked in her annoying little kid voice. "It's okay San I didn't tell her all your little secrets."

"So what'd you get Rachel?" I asked pleasantly eyeing Rachel. She smiled, happy that the attention had been shifted to her rather than to have Charlie and I bicker. "Looks like an Ella Fitzgerald record…I'm very impressed."

"Aren't you gonna ask me what I got?" Charlie said pushing her head between our seats.

"I don't have to ask, I know you either got _The Clash_ or _The Smiths_. You're one angsty mother fucker." Charlie laughed from the backseat and Rachel looked back at her. They shared a shrug before I turned onto McGregor and 5th.

"Nah I just like good music." Charlie replied. "You see I'm like Rachel we have a musical connection. If I see someone at the record store, Bam! Automatic attraction right there." I squinted my eyes and looked over at Rachel who didn't really seem fazed.

"I don't even know why I came here with you." I said amazed at how idiotic Charlie sounded right now. "Wait…did you smoke something before I picked you up from your house?"

"Maybe." Charlie said.

"You two are trouble makers." Rachel said with a light laugh. "I feel like I might be in danger." I couldn't tell if she was joking or not so I placed my hand gently on her thigh. My pinky toyed with the fabric of her skirt while the rest of my hand felt the heat of Rachel's body.

"You're not in danger. We're pretty responsible you know." I quickly pulled my hand away when I saw the flush of Rachel's cheeks, God I'd just made her freak out. I really should start keeping my stupid hands to myself. Not everyone is like Brittany, I told myself.

"Are you dropping off Charlie after you drop me off?" Rachel asked.

"Yeah…I guess that's the plan." Except that wasn't even close to being the plan. Originally Charlie had convinced me to leave the Fabray's house with a promise of caffeine and cookies. We were supposed to go to the record store, then the Lima Bean, then go find Wilson, buy weed, and then go visit Dave in the hospital. I wasn't going to tell Rachel that though and Charlie was smart enough to keep her mouth shut.

"Drop Charlie off first." It was more of a demand than an actual suggestion. I had no idea why she wanted me to do that, but I didn't really think to look so far into it.

"Oh come on am I that awful?" Charlie said from the back seat. I could picture the pout on her face and I laughed.

"Yeah I think you are." I joked.

"Is this about me saying that you're hot?" I wished I could turn back time so Charlie didn't say that. It was the drugs she was on right now, she had no filter and it was infuriating. Why would she say something like that in front of Rachel?

"Wow." Rachel breathed out and I gave her an apologetic smile.

"She's high, just ignore everything she says." Luckily, I was a speedy driver and I could navigate Lima Ohio with my eyes closed. We arrived at Charlie's house in no time and I was eager to get her out of the car. "Okay Charlie I'll catch you later, and don't bother Quinn." She only waved in response, which meant she was going to go inside and bother Quinn.

"I thought seeing you two together would be disastrous." Rachel said as I pulled out of the Fabray's driveway.

"Oh yeah? Why's that?" I asked curiously.

"Anyone could tell just by looking at you two that you have strong personalities. I just assumed they'd clash more often."

"That's more up Quinn's alley." I said.

"So Charlie said you were hot." It sounded weird coming out of Rachel's mouth. Most people would be a little shocked, a little nervous about the subject, but Rachel seemed relatively calm. "Is that why you didn't answer her text from earlier?"

"Your deductive reasoning skills are quite impressive." I said. "And no, that wasn't the reason. I said I didn't want to be rude and I meant it. What Charlie said…it's whatever, we talked about it, we're cool now." I explained.

"It's amazing that you're still able to keep things from being awkward. Does she…I mean does she like you like you?"

"I guess…maybe, but she knows how important our friendship is." Rachel looked out the window silently observing our surroundings. "So you're really not interested in Puck right?" I asked changing the subject.

"Just friends I swear." She said with a smile.

"Good." I said quietly.

"Good? You sound very happy."

"You're too good for him. Besides, is someone like him really your type?" I asked as I pulled into Rachel's driveway. This drive was getting to be more of a habit than a choice. I'd driven past Rachel's house on my way home on more than one occasion and it was out of my way.

"Maybe not his personality. I've heard stories about how he uses girls for sex and how he treated Quinn…no that's not my type. But dark hair, dark eyes, darker skin…yes that's my type." She said it slowly as if she was contemplating something else. I put the car in park and looked over at Rachel who was already starring back. "What about you?"

"What about me?" I asked purposefully trying to avoid the question.

"You have a type don't you? Everyone does." I'd become aware of the gentle rain drops falling for about two minutes. The space in the car seemed almost suffocating with the windows up and the space between Rachel and I seemed so close. I could tell that she washed her hair with this raspberry shampoo. Her favorite lotion must have been vanilla coconut; I've noticed that since the first day we'd met.

"I don't know." I said honestly. "I mean my first…my first time was with someone special, to me it wasn't about attraction…not in the normal way I guess. So I've never thought about _my type_." Rachel nodded in understanding and I knew she wanted to ask who my first was. The rain beat down harder against the car surface. "Do you want to make a run for it?" I asked half-smiling.

"Would it be okay if I tried to wait it out? I just don't want to ruin this new LP." I nodded in understanding. I could hear my Ipod playing Bon Iver's _Love More_ in the background and I wondered if Rachel liked the same music that I did. She never complained about listening to my indie playlists, but maybe she was just being polite.

"When I was younger Britt and I would go to the park when it rained, with our oversized rain boots on, she just wanted to be around the ducks." I told Rachel who unbuckled her seatbelt and gave her full attention to me. "I loved being there with her. I'd sneak out of my house at like 3 in the morning and go to the park and wait for her. I'd just wait there for hours."

"Why'd you have to sneak out?" I looked down at my hands. I could see a few cuts on them, one knuckle even looked purplish. This was the reason I was in such a bad mood on Sunday it was the reason that I didn't go to the hospital on Sunday.

"My dad doesn't like the idea of me hanging around Brittany so much. He always calls me her keeper. When I put my heart into something, I sort of make it mine. I'm possessive because my parents don't give me anything." I know I was just sitting here spilling my guts to Rachel and she was probably wondering why I was suddenly opening up. I was wondering the same thing.

"Your friends are grateful I'll bet." Rachel said. "Is that why you're trying to keep Noah away from me? Because you're being possessive of me?"

"Don't get offended, but yes." I said and this was as sure as I've ever been about anything in a long time.

"I'm not offended…actually I think I'm flattered." Rachel said with a smile. "Are you…what are you doing after this? Going home?"

"No way I'm going back there for awhile." I said thinking back to Saturday night. Rachel reached out and grabbed my hand. I let her hold it, it wasn't as weird as I thought it would be, and I guess it was comforting.

"You can stay the night here." Rachel offered.

"Are you sure?" I asked her genuinely worried that I might be imposing on the Berry family.

"Santana if there is one place that you will always be welcome it's at my house."

…

Rachel's POV

This was the third time Santana had been in my house and by now, I realized it wouldn't be her last. She'd opened up in the car, I don't know if it was because she needed someone to talk to, or if she actually wanted to talk to me. It didn't matter, what mattered was that Santana was sitting in my kitchen right now with a cup of hot chocolate in her left hand and with her right arm lazily slung around the back of my chair. My fathers were talking about music while Santana and I were just watching them interact.

"How could you even compare Boy George to George Michael? Hiram you're letting your gay show and this time it's not attractive." Santana held back a laugh while I just broke out into a fit of laughter.

"Ladies, let me tell you something important, when you find someone who loves you, make sure that they either like the same music as you or that you love them enough to deal with their incredibly stupid opinions." Santana looked back at my father while daddy glared at him from the other side of the table.

"Just about anyone wishes for love like you guys have." Santana said. We all looked at her for a moment before my daddy spoke up.

"Oh so are you looking for true love?" He asked.

"You don't have to be looking to find it, so no, I'm not looking." She said without hesitation.

"Wise girl, just make sure when you find love you use protection." That was just like dad, always a doctor first. "Unless you've already done something like that?" It was as if my fathers had planned this whole conversation out before they even saw Santana. It was beyond their normal embarrassing antics and Santana's neck reddened as soon as my dad stared at her with interested eyes.

"You two are fired." I said tapping Santana on her knee to get her attention. "You don't have to answer anything."

"It's okay." Santana said. "If you're asking what I think you're asking then no I'm not a virgin." I just wanted to crawl into a hole and die. Santana actually seem sort of comfortable with my fathers which was nice, but also annoying. I'd much rather spend time with her alone.

"Oh." My dad said in a singsong voice. "Was he cute?"

"I plead the fifth." Santana said with a bashful smile. "What kind of person would I be if I kiss and tell?" Santana joked.

"So you're just going to let us think whatever we want about this mystery person?" Dad asked. "At least tell us if he had a beard so we can tell you that you have horrible tastes."

"Okay conversation over." I said cutting off my fathers before they could pry too much into Santana's personal life. I stood up and Santana followed me towards the steps. She stopped right in the threshold of the door and looked back at my fathers.

"No they didn't have a beard. I have better tastes than that." She assured them before we went up to my room.

"My fathers are obsessed with you." I said shaking my head. Santana shrugged and sat down on my bed.

"It's nice to have a father or _fathers _who actually care about stuff like this." Santana looked comfortable sitting there on my bed. For once, she looked carefree and I realized she only had that look on her face when she was alone with me. "Your dads are super chill, wonder what they'd think if they found out I was a pothead."

"You're not…or not entirely." I sat down next to her on the bed, close enough, that our legs were pressed up against one another.

"Well I wonder what they'd think if they found out that I'd kissed you." I bit my lip holding back the words that I wanted to say so desperately. _Kiss me again._ She leaned in first I was sure of it, but I followed her lead, my hand was on her hip and hers was on my thigh. Leaning in and then further, then inches away, then nothing. She'd pulled back and she lay down with her back flat on my bed.

"Have you ever just thought about everything in your life and then realized it's all nothing? It's all awful?" I looked down at Santana, her eyebrows were furrowed, that meant she was deep in thought. It meant she really thought that about her life.

"You don't believe that do you?" I asked.

"I don't know what I believe anymore. I know that most kids my age don't have a care in the world. Their parents do everything for them…their parents love them." She stopped speaking and looked up at me. "I don't want to go home Rachel, I don't ever want to go back."

"So what are you going to do?" I could feel it, deep down in my heart, I knew at this moment. She was talking like she was going to run away. That or she was going to kill herself. I couldn't stand it, sitting here and not being able to help her.

She continued staring up at the ceiling, she wasn't going to answer my question, I knew that much. I took Santana's hand, examining the bruises and cuts on them. I ran my finger along the grove of her knuckles stopping to touch the darkened scar near her ring finger. I noticed that this time when I took her hand she didn't flinch, I didn't know if that meant she was getting comfortable with me or if she was thinking so deeply that she hadn't even noticed my presence.

"Lay down next to me Rachel." Santana said quietly. "Please." I obliged and lay down cuddled up in Santana's arms. She rested her chin on top of my head and squeezed me tight. The way she held me I knew she was thinking of someone else. Brittany maybe? It didn't bother me, she was sad and she wanted me for comfort, this was a new beginning. This was the beginning of something.

…

Quinn's POV

"Do you think Mr. Shue is g-going to be mad?" I looked over at Tina and frowned. I never noticed her stutter before.

"I d-d-don't give a fuck." I replied taking a jab at the girl. Santana nudged me in the side and I gave her a warning look. "Look are you guys ready or what? Because there is no way I'm going up there and embarrassing myself."

"No we're so ready." Artie said rolling into the middle of our circle.

"Um hell yeah we're ready." Mercedes said peaking out behind the curtains and looking out towards the crowd of students. I could hear Principal Figgins making an announcement about the cutbacks on heating this year and I assumed that we'd be performing soon.

"Where the fuck is the dwarf?" I asked looking around at everyone.

"I'm right here." Rachel said walking out from behind a few chairs. I eyed her curiously but forced myself not to ask what the hell she was doing.

"Should we like pray or something?" Mike Chang asked.

"We don't need to pray, we've got this." Santana encouraged.

"_And now to present the Glee Club._." The curtains began opening up and we got into formation. I refused to look at the faces in the crowd I just looked ahead as Artie and Puck sang the first lines of the song.

_I gotta feeling...  
That tonight's gonna be a good night  
That tonight's gonna be a good night  
That tonight's gonna be a good, good night  
_

Brittany and Mike had really put together a great routine for us to do in the background. The movements were smooth and fun. I couldn't remember a time when I enjoyed dancing as much. Santana and Artie took the next part, and I was mesmerized by how easily they meshed together.

_A feeling... Woohoo  
That tonight's gonna be a good night  
That tonight's gonna be a good night  
That tonight's gonna be a good, good night  
_

When Rachel first suggested that Santana rap half of us broke out into laughter, but then she actually preformed the part in front of the group and we were all impressed. Even Artie. As soon as she opened her mouth to cut into the _Where is the Love_ verse, students in the crowd began standing up and cheering.

_What's wrong with the world mama  
People living like they ain't got no mama  
I think the whole world's addicted to the drama  
Only attracted to things that will bring you trauma  
Over seas, yeah, we tryin' to stop terrorism  
But we still got terrorists here living in the USA  
The big CIA, the Bloods, and the Crips and the KKK _

Rachel and I joined Santana for the next verse, slowing it down slightly and while I would have preferred to sing this with just Santana, Rachel did sound pretty good.

_But if you only have love for your own race  
Then you only leave space to discriminate  
And to discriminate only generates hate  
And when you hate then you're bound to get irate  
Madness is what you demonstrate  
And that's exactly how anger works and operates  
Man, you got to have love just to set it straight  
Take control of your mind and meditate  
Let your soul gravitate to the love y'all_

Puck, Brittany, and Artie took over as the band turned up the bass. Everyone in the auditorium was on their feet at this point. Brittany and I did simultaneous back flips while Mike moon walked across the stage.

_Tonight's the night,  
Let's live it up  
I got my money,  
Let's spend it up  
Go out and smash it  
Like oh my God  
Jump off that sofa,  
Let's get, get off  
_

Mercedes and Rachel had the most powerful voices in the club, that was a fact. Which was why, even with Rachel's utter lack of swag, she could still pull off the next verse by way of pure talent.

_People killing, people dying  
Children hurtin', hear them crying  
Can you practice what you preach  
Or would you turn the other cheek  
Father father father father  
Send some guidance from above  
'Cause people got me, got me questioning  
Where is the love_

When Puck held my hand and twirled me in circles I completely forgot that I was supposed to be singing the next part with Artie and Santana. Luckily Brittany filled in for me.

_Let's do it,  
Let's do it,  
Let's do it,  
Let's do it  
And do it and do it,  
Let's live it up  
And do it and do it  
And do it, do it, do it  
Let's do it, let's do it,  
Let's do it_

'Cause I gotta feeling, woohoo,  
That tonight's gonna be a good night  
That tonight's gonna be a good night  
That tonight's gonna be a good, good night

A feeling, woohoo,  
That tonight's gonna be a good night  
That tonight's gonna be a good night  
That tonight's gonna be a good, good night

Tina and Rachel sang together, each walking towards the crowd in a different direction_  
_

_Where is the love_

_The love_

_The love_

_Where is the love the love the love_

The last lines were for all of us, as we took a few steps back and the music died down, we sang together.

_Cause I've gotta feeling _

_Woohoo_

We all took a bow and walked back behind the curtains and waited for them to close before we dashed towards the choir room. "Holy shit, can I just say, that was awesome!" Puck said grinning.

"Guys that was so amazing." Rachel beamed.

"Everyone sang so well…even Rachel." I added getting a smile from the petite diva.

"You were perfect." Brittany whispered to Santana who smiled and happily wrapped her arm around B. Brittany kissed Santana on the cheek, which we all saw, and all decided to ignore.

"That's it guys, Glee Club is here, and we're here to stay."

**Review Please. If I could write review a million times I would.**


	24. Backseat

**Ready for the Pezberry? **

Santana's POV

I held the phone to my ear hoping that she would pick up. I hadn't called her in awhile, and I knew once she saw my number pop up on her screen she'd probably be hesitant to even answer. It was my fault that we'd grown apart, and I wouldn't blame her if she ignored my call. "San, is that you?" Well that was a nice surprise.

"Hey." I said trying to sound nonchalant, but if there was anyone who could read me it was my sister. "How are you Olivia?" I asked looking over my shoulder back towards the football field. The soccer game was about to start, and soon my seat would probably be taken.

"Okay drop the act, what's going on? You only call me Olivia when something's up." I bit my lower lip and closed my eyes.

"I need money." I said quietly as the mascot and Jacob Ben Israel walked by.

"San, I've got a job but…it's not much. Why do you need money, are you in some kind of trouble?" I looked back towards the field nervously, I knew Quinn would sense that something was up soon, and come looking for me. "Talk to me, tell me what's happening."

"Just whatever you can spare, wire it to me in my private bank account. Just do that for me." I could hear her sighing on the other end. I knew she wished she could be here for me, but she did the smart thing and got the hell out of Lima as soon as she could. "And don't tell dad."

"You know I wouldn't." She replied. "Love you San."

"I love you too Olive." She laughed at the use of her nickname and we said goodbye to one another. I shoved my phone into my pocket, put back on my gloves, and fixed my hat before I started walking up the bleachers. Most of the parents and younger kids were spread all around the bleachers, but the students had our very own section.

Soccer wasn't as popular as football here, but we still took pride in it. It was more of a Saturday night thing for us, usually the soccer games and a party or a low key night of drinking with friends. I didn't know what our plans were after this but we'd figure that out later.

"Where'd you go?" Quinn asked as I walked over and sat down on the bleachers in between her and Britt.

"Bathroom." I lied. I could feel Brittany shiver at my side and I wrapped my arm around her to warm her up. "You cold Britt-Britt, I could buy you some hot chocolate." I offered.

"Let's wait till halftime, that way you won't miss anymore of the game." I smiled at Brittany's thoughtfulness and returned my eyes to the game. The score was 0-0 and we were playing Carmel Academy, one of our rivals. Our best player, Tony Holland, was injured, but we could still hold our own. Our defense was much better this year than it had been in the past.

"What are we doing after this?" Quinn asked but before I could answer, she was standing up and darting down the bleachers, and stopping in front of a freshman Cheerio who looked like she'd had a little something to drink before the game.

"Quinn's gonna destroy her." I muttered nudging Brittany so she could see who I was looking at.

"Why aren't you down their yelling at her too? You're a captain." Brittany had this knowing smile on her face and I scooted closer to her.

"I don't discipline people; if Quinn wants to do that then it's her choice." I explained. "Everyone knows Quinn's like a mom." I said letting Brittany rest her head on my shoulder. "So what did you want to do after this? If you want to party just say so, don't think you have to do whatever Quinn wants or even what I want."

"I don't mind going to a party at Puck's, it'll be fun." I nodded and agreed. Puck's parties always let me forget about everything that was on my mind. Quinn returned to her seat next to me and with a flip of her hair, she looked at Brittany and I.

"Those freshmen have a death wish, I can't stand it, one day I'll snap." Secretly I enjoyed Quinn's anger, it was always fun to see her become really passionate about something and ultimately try and control it. Cheerleading was her thing and I respected that wholeheartedly.

"God you're so sexy when you're angry." I joked and Quinn slapped me hard on the shoulder. "So B and I took a vote and we decided that we're going to Puck's party tonight."

"Alright that's fine." Quinn said. She turned to look at the game and saw that a kid from Carmel had just gotten the ball past two of our best defenders. "Would someone stop that fucker!" Quinn yelled. The bottom half of the student section turned around and looked at Quinn who glared back. "You got a problem?" She questioned and no one was willing to say anything.

"Hey San isn't that Rachel?" Brittany said standing up and looking towards the stairs that lead up to the bleachers. I looked too and saw Rachel walking in between her dads. She had a bright smile on her face as she said something to Hiram Berry and he laughed and wrapped his arm around his daughter.

"Aw isn't that sweet." Quinn said sarcastically. "What kind of dweeb comes to the game with their parents? Classic Berry."

"Would you lay off her?" I said as I tried to slide past Brittany and walk down the bleachers.

"Where are you going?" Quinn yelled at me.

"To say hi." I replied as I squeezed between a group of seniors and walked over to greet the Berry family. "Hi Rachel." I said giving her a smile. "Hi Mr. Berry, hi Dr. Berry."

"Oh Santana it's nice seeing you here." Leroy Berry said. "Are you here with friends?"

"Sorta, Quinn and Brittany are sitting by me. Do you want to sit with us?" I offered to Rachel. Her father's exchanged glances and knowing grins. I refocused my attention on Rachel who looked down bashfully.

"Generally I try and avoid situations where I'll be surrounded by high school students outside of high school." I nodded in understanding and sat down next to Rachel. "W-what are you doing?" Rachel asked nervously.

"Sitting with you…unless you don't want me too." I guess I hadn't thought of that, I just assumed she'd want a friend to sit with.

"Of course I want you to." She said with a smile. "But I can see Quinn starring a hole through my head."

"She's harmless." I assured her. "I didn't realize that you're into soccer Rachel. I have to admit I was a little surprised at seeing you here." Rachel shrugged nonchalantly.

"I'm not as predictable as you might think." I'd noticed her confidence level had increased around me and it was something I thoroughly enjoyed. I looked back at Rachel's fathers who had been eavesdropping and they quickly looked away.

"I'm sure." I said sarcastically. "You're getting to be too confident for your own good." I joked.

"You mean like you?" She asked. I could hear the snicker from Hiram Berry behind us and I smiled. The halftime buzzer sounded and most of the students and a lot of parents got up to get snacks from the concession stand. I was about to tell Rachel about the party tonight when Brittany jumped in front of us.

"Sanni, can I burrow a dollar for hot coco? I'll pay you back." Brittany seemed nervous and bashful and I smiled as I got the money out of my pocket.

"Britt, baby girl, you don't have to pay me back. Do you want anything else?" She shook her head no but I gave her two dollars just in case.

"Thank you San." She happily took the money and gave me a quick peck on the lips before she skipped off towards the concession stand. I could feel my ears burning up. I can't believe Britt did that with all these people around, and especially with Rachel's dads right behind me.

"How cute!" Hiram Berry exclaimed putting his head right between Rachel and I. "She calls you Sanni? Talk about adorable." I blushed even more.

"Can I call you Sanni?" Rachel asked with a mischievous grin.

"Not a chance." I informed her. "Hey I left my jacket in my car; I'm gonna go grab it."

"I'll come with." Rachel offered eagerly. We walked down the bleachers and away from the field towards the parking lot. It was dark out and the lights from the field only illuminated so much of the lot. "If you want to sit with Quinn and Brittany then don't let me stop you." I unlocked my car door and looked over my shoulder at Rachel.

"Indecisive and cocky. Choose one Rachel." I joked. I noticed her shiver a little and I smirked. "Hey do you want to sit in my car for a little bit, I'll turn the heat on." Rachel opened the back seat car door and got in. I got in the drivers seat to turn the heat on before I joined her in the back seat.

Neither one of us made a move to turn the light on, nor did we both to scoot away from one another. I felt comfortable enough to wrap my arm around her shoulder and we sat there while my car heated up. "Santana?" Rachel said quietly.

"Yeah."

"Was it weird kissing me?" I didn't expect the question, not at all. I looked into her eyes and squinted to see her expression. "I mean…was it…"

"No it wasn't weird." She leaned into me. Her nose grazing my earlobe, her lips brushing my cheek. She stopped when our lips were inches apart. "Don't do that Rachel." I warned her.

"Why not?"

"Because kissing once means nothing, but twice…that's different." I looked into her eyes and placed my hand on her hip, pushing her back a little.

"Just one kiss, three seconds. It'll be like kissing Brittany." I took a deep breath and look her into the eyes. I let Rachel lean in and kiss me this time. She was wrong though, about it being like Brittany, her lips were fuller and it was easy for me to put my hand on the inside of her thigh. I pulled her closer to me, I knew I just wanted her on top of me, but this was wrong.

She didn't tell me to stop when my hand moved up further, she didn't pull back when I bit down on her lip, and I wanted to pull back but I couldn't. My hand was all the way up her skirt, my fingers curled around her panties, I tugged down just a little and then suddenly we heard a knock on the window.

We pulled back quickly, flushed, embarrassed, and ashamed. I rolled down the window to see who it was. Oh great. "What do you want Puck?" I asked.

"Well Quinn sent me to look for you, but now all I want to do is join-." I flicked him off and rolled up the window. I waited until he walked away before I looked over at Rachel.

"Let's go back out to the game." I said opening the door and taking the key out of the ignition.

"Okay." Rachel said looking like she wanted to say something else. "Look this doesn't have to mean something-."

"You're right it doesn't." I cut her off. "It's just a kiss. It doesn't mean a thing."

…

Charlie's POV

"That's a perk of peeing standing up. I wish I could do that." I said as Santana snatched my sandwich right out of my hand and took a bite.

"Okay barf much. I'm trying to eat here." Santana said. I was happy that Santana and I could share this lunch together, even though I knew she was mad at me for skipping an entire day of school just to drive here instead. Most of the kids were eating in the cafeteria but a few had to walk by to get there.

There were more than a few double takes I got, I even heard someone say _is that Quinn Fabray_, Santana and I laughed at the mere thought. Santana tossed me a bag of chips and I caught them. "I'm just saying…if you could have one thing what would it be?"

"Is that what we're talking about? Cause now it sounds like the one thing you want is a dick so you can fuck a bunch of girls." Santana said nudging me in the side.

"Hey I can already do that." I responded with a wink. "And no, this is a new convo. If you could have one thing, what would it be?" I asked propping my head up and staring at Santana attentively.

"I dunno…probably to be emancipated from my parents." I cocked my head to the side and sat up straight.

"Do you mean that? Like seriously?" I asked but she looked down at her feet and shrugged. I wanted a real answer but it looked like I wasn't going to get it. I could see Rachel approaching from the distance and I waved her over.

"Hi Rachel." I said with a smile.

"Hi guys, what are you doing?" Rachel questioned, mostly just looking at me. "By that I mean why are you here Charlie? Don't you have school?"

"She's skipping like the hobo that she is." Santana said with a smile. "She's a bad influence."

"Hey, to be fair, so are you." I replied. Santana shrugged and smiled to herself.

"Well I actually have to meet with a teacher, so I'll see you guys later. Santana I'll see you in Glee." Rachel spun on her heels and walked back towards the side entrance of the school. I watched her go, never appreciating the length of those skirts she wore until now. For such a short girl she had a pair of legs on her, accented by a nice shaped ass.

"What are you looking at?" Santana asked grabbing my arm and snapping me out of my trance.

"Oh…nothing." I lied.

"Um bull fucking shit, you were checking her out!" Santana said slapping my shoulder hard.

"Ow!" I said jumping out of my seat and getting away before she hit me again. "So what if I was? Is that a crime?"

"Don't check her out; keep your leering to skanks or something." She demanded.

"Santana, I can only stare at you for so long." I caught a punch right to the shoulder from Santana and we both laughed it off. "Look would you give me a break on this one? I check out just about every girl now that I'm out. I mean she has a nice body." I'd just looked at the female form more now. Trying to see what I liked, trying to understand why, it wasn't a big deal now.

"Well keep your eyes off of her." Santana commanded and I wondered why she was so defensive about Rachel.

"Well I really wasn't looking at her, more like the bottom half of her." At this point, the punches in my shoulder were just numbing enough for me not to care anymore. Santana was so annoyed with me but I thought it was kind of funny. She was clearly a hot bloodied girl, which, yet again, kept making her attractive to me.

"You're such a sleaze." She said rolling her eyes.

"The word you're looking for is tease and that I am." I winked at her and opened my bag of chips. "I don't get the big deal though, is she taken?" I questioned raising an eyebrow.

"Not the point." She said seemingly trying to end the conversation as quickly as possible. Maybe I was making her uncomfortable by talking about girls with her. I should've thought of that before.

"Okay I get it, I'll back off." I told her and I ate a few chips. "It's so sweet of you to protect little Berry." I said in a condescending tone.

"You are such a prick." She said rolling her eyes.

"Oh come on why are you so protective of her? You've only known her for like two months." I said watching as she started biting her nails. "She's not Brittany; she can take car of herself."

"I know that! I never once compared her to Britt. I just…she's a sweet girl and it's hard to come by friends like her. So I'm just trying to hold on to what I got." I shrugged and decided to just let the whole thing go. "So are you done with Wilson and all his shit? I haven't seen you with him in awhile."

"I don't know…I mean should I be? He still supplies me with good shit and he's an alright guy." Part of me wanted Santana to just tell me what to do. I was too indecisive about things like this and I needed someone like her to help me out. I knew she wouldn't though, she was all about people deciding their own paths, that was her thing.

"Dude it's your choice, but Quinn worries about you and _that night_ or whatever the hell happened awhile back. Just be careful alright." Santana warned.

"I will…I promise." I grabbed our trash and tossed it in a garbage can nearby. I walked back over to Santana and puckered up my lips. "One for the road?" She playfully smacked my cheek before grabbing my hand and kissing me right where she'd slapped me. "I'll catch you later Lopez."

"Later Fabray."

…

Quinn's POV

"I told him to stop being a little fucker and listen to me." I exclaimed as I sat down in Glee Club with Santana and Brittany at my side. Mercedes eyed me curiously as if she was going to ask what we were talking about.

"You told Mr. Nelson to stop being a little fucker?" Santana asked staring at me in disbelief.

"Of course not, do you think I'm crazy?" I asked with a scuff. "Also I heard from Puck that you had lunch with Charlie today, on campus." I said glaring at Santana. "Can't you two be normal and go out to eat?"

"I'm not going to be a part of hiding your big secret Quinnie." Santana patronized as Mike, Puck and Artie walked in together. Now that everyone was here, all we had to do was wait for Mr. Shuester to arrive.

"What s-s-secret Quinn?" Tina questioned from behind me.

"Mind your own d-d-damn business Tina." I warned the girl, enjoying the way she cowered under my glare. "Anyway where is Mr. Shue? Doesn't he own a watch?" It bothered me that he was always late. I thought punctuality was a requirement for teachers.

"Probably flirting with Ms. Pillsbury." Santana said.

"Oh hi Santana, I didn't see you there. How are you?" Puck asked with a smug look on his face like he knew something we all didn't.

"Fuck off Puckerman." I looked in between them and then turned to Brittany.

"What's going on between them?" I asked but Brittany's only answer was a shrug. "Puck leave San alone." He raised his arms up defensively but that smirk was still on his face. We ended up waiting five minutes until Mr. Shuester came in, but he came in with someone at his side, someone that no one was expecting, and no one wanted to be here.

"Oh hell to the no Mr. Shue, what is he doing here?" I was never more thankful for the sass of Mercedes than I was now.

"Now Mercedes-." Mr. Shuester tried to calm her down but it was no use, none of us wanted Finn here, and we weren't afraid to show it.

"Like fuck I'm letting that asshole share a room with us." Santana said jumping out of her seat. She was normally more reserved with her anger, but right now I had to hold on to her arm to keep her from lashing out further.

"I don't want him in here." I said simply.

"What?" Finn questioned furrowing his eyebrows.

"Did I stutter asshole?" I retorted angrily. I looked over at Tina who I might have offended with the stutter comment and mouthed sorry before turning back to Finn. Sure he may be the quarterback but after what he did to Dave I don't give a shit about who he is. "Nobody wants you in here Finn, so get out." I said more firmly this time.

"I'm not sharing a room with a known homophobe." Rachel said crossing her arms over her chest.

"Neither am I, so step Hudson." Artie said wheeling himself in front of Finn and staring up at him. "This is a place where everyone needs to feel safe and accepted, and you're a threat to that."

"Guys we made a promise to open up Glee Club to everyone and Finn here brings us one step closer to having enough people. You all should be happy." The room fell silent as we glared at Finn, hoping he would drop the act.

"Look I'm sorry for what I did to Dave-." Santana's chair skidded across the floor as she kicked it back. I saw her swiftly walking towards Finn, and I realized I wasn't going to be able to stop her.

"Save it you stupid son of a bitch." She shoulder checked him as she stormed out and Finn stood there in awe. I wanted to go after Santana but I figure she'd actually prefer to be alone.

"Well…um Finn, you'll have to perform something when you're ready, but besides that, welcome to Glee Club." Finn smiled at Mr. Shuester and scanned the room for a seat. He walked over near Puck, since he probably thought Mike and Puck were his only chances at friendship in here, but Puck stood to his feet. He stared at him, right into his eyes, I could see the muscles in Puck's jaws working, his fist tightly clenched.

"Be careful Hudson, watch your back." Puck warned pressing his finger against Finn's chest. "You already fucked up once and second chances are hard to come by." The way he said it, it made me think he meant something else. Almost like he was talking about himself. Like he was talking about us.

I just couldn't go back down that road, so I sat there, and glared. Glee Club just went from a small mission to a duty, one that I vowed I wasn't going to screw up.

**Review Please.**


	25. Liar

**Things that happen in this chapter: Charlie's a hothead, Glee Club gets a new member, and somebody's lying. Enjoy.**

Charlie's POV

I stormed into the school. Sure, my mom was going to be pissed that I'd skipped school again today, but this was important. I even wore all black, and everyone knew if I was strutting down McKinley High hallways in all black with the look of vengeance that I was out for blood. Or at least Quinn knew that when she intercepted me and grabbed me by the collar, yanking me around the corner behind her.

"What do you think you're doing?" Quinn asked pushing me back against the locker behind me. "No let me rephrase that, what the fuck do you think you're doing?" I knew she would be pissed if I came here, which was why I was purposefully trying to avoid her. Clearly, that plan failed.

"Okay look I'm not trying to ruin your life by showing my awful face here." I started sarcastically. "But Brittany told me that Finn Hudson joined Glee Club yesterday and I wanted to talk to Mr. Shuester about it."

"What are you going to say? We already tried to get him to leave, but Mr. Shuester has like a serious hard-on for that asshole." Quinn said putting her hand on her hip. "I even tried to use my popularity to get what I want and it didn't work…it's a tragedy."

"Okay, well then just let me try." I was about to walk away when Quinn grabbed my arm and yanked me back.

"Not if you want to continue breathing." Quinn warned. "Wait, why were you talking to Brittany?" Quinn asked as if that was the important thing in this conversation.

"What? Why can't I talk to Brittany?" I asked suddenly feeling defensive.

"Because you can't. She's my friend, not yours…wait you're not trying to like get with her or anything? Because if you are-."

"I'm not." I snapped. "Look I'm going to find Mr. Shuester now." I pulled my arm out of Quinn's grip and rounded the corner to begin my search. There were a lot more people at McKinley than at my school, but I was getting less stares than I normally did at my school. Finding Mr. Shuester shouldn't be hard, he was a Spanish teacher, therefore he should probably be in the Spanish classroom or the teacher's lounge right now.

I saw Rachel talking to Puck near the water fountain and I walked over towards them. "Hey Puckzilla, long time no see." I said nudging him in the shoulder. We weren't the hugging types of friends, but ever since our earlier encounter this year we've been hanging out a little more. Puck stopped midsentence and engulfed me in a bone crushing hug.

"Charlie I missed you." He said as he pulled back. "Wait, what are you doing here? Are you back?"

"You can't exactly come back after getting kicked out of school. I'm actually looking for Mr. Shuester." I explained.

"Why are you looking for Mr. Shuester Charlotte?" I had to do a double take when I heard Rachel call me _Charlotte_. Puck tried not to laugh, but failed and I looked at Rachel like she was crazy.

"Why'd you just call me that?"

"I like to use people's proper name, that's why I use Noah instead of Puck and now I'll use Charlotte instead of Charlie." Rachel explained with a smile.

"B-but…you know what do whatever you want Rachel." I said figuring this wasn't an argument I wanted to get into. "Also Puck if you're thinking what I know you're thinking about you know what, you'd better back off." We used to be best friends so he understood what I was implying right away.

"Whoa, no one said I was thinking what you think I was thinking." Puck defended quickly.

"All I know was that Santana would not be happy if you were thinking that and neither would Quinn." I assured him.

"How do you know that?" Puck asked me.

"Because I was thinking about it yesterday and Santana ripped me a new one." I said referring back to when Santana bitched me out just for checking out Rachel. There was no way she'd be happy if Puck was trying to get with her.

"Wow Charlie you've got decent tastes, but like I said before to Santana, it's not like that." It was in this moment that Rachel finally decided to interrupt our conversation.

"Okay, I'm going to go now, but Charlotte I can show you where Mr. Shuester is if you want." I waved goodbye and followed Rachel through the hallway. She was walking so quickly that I had to walk twice as fast as I normally do just to keep up.

We were about to walk up the steps when a group of football jocks brushed past us. Finn stuck out like a sore thumb, he was tossing a football between his hands, and he had that stupid smug grin on his face. Just like I remember him.

"Hey Finn." I said. He looked at me, like the gears in his brain were working for once in his life. The rest of his jock friends continued walking leaving just us, with Rachel close at my side.

"Quinn? I like the pink hair." He said smiling and examining my hair close up.

"I'm not Quinn you fucktard, I'm Charlie." I said. "And you and I, we're not on god terms." I informed me.

"But why not? I haven't done anything to you." He said.

"Charlie, let's go find Mr. Shuester." Rachel said wrapping her hands around my arm and trying to get me to continue up the stairs. I didn't budge.

"Maybe not, but you caused one of my friends to feel so bad about himself that he attempted suicide. Dave, remember him?" Rachel tried to tug harder but I pulled away quickly. He opened his mouth to say something, probably to give me a weak apology but I wasn't having it. "You don't have to say anything. You don't have to give me one of your bullshit apologies. Why don't you just come to St. Mary's tomorrow and write _dyke_ on my locker?"

There were a few people watching us from the top of the stairs, but no one got any closer. They really thought I was Quinn, and they seemed terrified by my anger.

I shoved Finn back and watched him slam into the lockers behind him. He was about to come charging back at me when Santana jumped between us and grabbed me by the shirt.

"Charlie what are you doing?" She wasn't looking for an answer, she just wanted me to call down.

"Watch your back Charlie." Finn threatened. Santana turned to him, calmly, but with anger filling her eyes.

"You don't get to speak, okay? Shut your mouth Hudson, pretend that nothing happened because I'll protect my friend over you any day, and you don't want to make an enemy out of me. You're the one who needs to watch their back, but right now you need to leave." She didn't have to yell to terrify him, she just had this look in her eyes like they were on fire. Finn did a double take before putting his head down and walking away.

"That's right you'd better walk away asshole." I called after him.

"Charlie I'm going to tell you once, get out of here." She enunciated each word clearly while keeping direct eye contact with me.

"What are they gonna do? Expel me?" I joked bitterly.

"Walk away because I'm not getting in the middle of this, you want to fuck up your life go ahead, but you're not taking me down with you-."

"Jesus Santana, overreacting much." She had this look on her face, the one she always had when she wanted to smoke with me just to forget something. The one she wore after a rough night at home.

"Don't tell me I'm overreacting when you're coming in here picking a fight with Finn. That's impulsive behavior Charlie, and it's stupid." She grabbed my arm and pulled me closer to her, effectively creating a little distance between Rachel and us. She whispered in my ear, "Seriously Char I don't want to deal with this, just go."

"Okay." I said not wanting to make myself a burden to her. "I'll go." I didn't bother waving goodbye to Rachel or Santana as I turned around and walked out of the school. I went there trying to straighten things out, but now I think I might have done more harm than good.

…

Quinn's POV

"I, for one, was unaware that we live in a monarchy, I thought it was a democracy. Majority wins and all. I'm ready to pack up and move to Canada where at least they have free health insurance, who's in?" I was still pissed that we couldn't just vote Finn out of Glee Club and I wasn't about to hide my opinion just because he was sitting right there.

"I'm with you girl, it might be colder up there, but at least I won't have to deal with a certain giant bigot." Mercedes said eyeing Finn sideways.

"Um guys I'm sitting right here I can hear you talking about me." Finn said glaring back at us.

"Yes, we're aware, kinda hard to miss you there bud." Mike snipped getting a high five and a laugh from me.

"Hey T-Rex why don't you sing something for us? We're waiting for your audition." Santana said crossing her arms over her chest. "Mr. Shuester is obviously eye fucking Pillsbury, and we don't have all year, so go ahead."

"Yeah everyone has to sing to join, so come on." Artie urged Finn.

"Don't be a bitch Finn, all you do is talk shit, so open your mouth and sing something now." Puck said. Finn finally had enough and stood up and stood in front of us like he was really going to do it. Just then Mr. Shuester came into the room with a blonde hair boy walking behind him. The boy was even blonder than I was, with blue eyes, and he was toned just like Puck which made me automatically think he was a jock.

"Hi guys…um Finn, could you sit down for a moment." Mr. Shuester asked. Finn gladly returned to his seat, probably ecstatic that all the attention was now on this new kid. "Glee Club I'd like you to meet a new student at McKinley High, he's just moved here from Tennessee, and after he saw your performance he wanted to join." I raised an eyebrow at him.

"Bro you've got massive lips." Puck said cocking his head to the side.

"Thanks?" The boy said squinting his eyes. "Anyway, my name is Sam…Sam I am, and I do not like green eggs and ham." I giggled but quickly covered my mouth when Brittany turned and looked at me.

"Oh wow this kid has no game." Santana said with a smile.

"Where's your accent, did you lose it?" Brittany asked.

"No it's just not that prevalent." Sam said before looking over at Mr. Shuester. "Can I just sit anywhere?" Mr. Shuester nodded and Sam opted to take a seat between Artie and Tina.

"So guys I thought of something really fun that we could do." Mr. Shuester said with that annoyingly boyish smile of his.

"Paintball?" Puck asked.

"Roller derby?" Tina questioned.

"No." Mr. Shue said shutting them both down. "How about a boys verses girls competition?"

"Like a fight to the death gladiator style thing? Because if so I'm totally in." I said with a shrug.

"No, more like a mash up competition." Mr. Shuester explained.

"What's a mash up? Does it have anything to do with mash potatoes?" Brittany asked seriously. "Where are we going to get the gravy?" She whispered in Santana's ear.

"A mash up is when you arrange two songs together and mash them up as one. Brittany, we did a mash up in the assembly." Brittany nodded at Rachel and smiled when she finally understood what was going on. "And I think a competition would be excellent, getting the competitive juices flowing will be good for the group especially if we're that much closer to having the numbers we need to actually compete." I rolled my eyes because not all of us needed the explanation, only Brittany did, and Berry was super annoying when she was being a know-it-all.

"Exactly, and since we have two new members for the boys, I thought maybe they'd sing lead for their group number, but as for the girls, you all can do whatever you want." Mr. Shuester said.

"Yeah fantastic," Santana started sarcastically, "but we all know you're gonna let the boys win, how are we supposed to expect a unbiased vote from you if you're a dude?" She had a point there.

"Because I'll have a guest judge who is a woman." The answer seemed sufficient enough for us and Mr. Shuester told us that he needed to arrange for us to have the auditorium next week and we should start thinking about song options. The boys decided to leave and go to the Spanish classroom so we wouldn't eavesdrop and all the girls stayed in the choir room.

"Okay so any ideas on songs ladies?" Rachel asked.

"Not now Berry we need to talk about that ball of cuteness who just walk up in here. Can you say damn?" Mercedes said waving her hand in front of her face like it was a fan.

"Dude had massive lips like a fucking trout." Santana said rolling her eyes.

"He was cute cause he has blonde hair and blue eyes like me." Brittany said with a smile.

"I t-think he s-seems nice." Tina added.

"This seems like more of a conversation for social hour, but right now we really should be getting prepared for a musical number." Rachel interjected.

"Stop being a Debbie downer." I told Rachel.

"She's just passionate about music; it's not a big deal. Rachel, what do you have in mind?" Santana said making sure that we all listened to Rachel.

"I was thinking about-."

"Literally if the next two words that come out of your mouth are Barbra Streisand I will cut you." Mercedes threatened.

"Okay fine, what are your ideas? How about everyone goes around and says one artist that we'd like to perform." Rachel suggested.

"Sounds good." Mercedes said. "I for one would like to do a song by Whitney Houston."

"I want to do a Madonna song." I said.

"I totally want to do a Katy Perry song." Brittany said.

"Evanescence f-for me." Tina sputtered out. I held back on a goth joke for the sake of team moral. A bunch of girls in a group was already dangerous, adding animosity would be a bad idea.

"Joan Jett." Santana said with a shrug.

"Okay well that didn't help at all." Rachel said with a frustrated sigh. I didn't have to turn and check the clock, with the way we were all sitting here, hoping our ideas would make it, I already knew this was going to be a long day.

…

Rachel's POV

I was rarely at the hospital on Wednesdays, actually I don't remember a time when I ever was. Sundays were my usual days, but today was different. My father wanted to take me out to dinner in honor of daddy's new art exhibit that is opening next month.

For once, I didn't have to clean, or change sheets, or do anything really. That didn't stop me from sitting in an empty room, putting on my headphones, and getting lost in the music. I closed my eyes and relaxed, waiting for my father to finish work and come in to get me.

When I felt the hands on my shoulders, I panicked immediately, but then I relaxed because it was my father's patented move to scare me. It wasn't until the hands began massaging my shoulders that I realized how soft they were. I turned around quickly, ready to attack if necessary, but it ended up just being Santana standing there with an amused smirk on her face.

I watched as her mouth began moving but I couldn't hear a thing. God she was such an amazing beauty. She's the type of girl that you notice right away, but she dreads being noticed by anyone. Even now she looked amazing, and she was wearing ripped up jeans and a plain long sleeved shirt. I was so mesmerized that I couldn't even hear her, I was such a weirdo.

She raised her hand towards me, and took the ear buds out for me with a smile. "You might be able to hear better without these." My face flushed red with embarrassment and Santana just chuckled.

"Okay I'm embarrassed now, please walk away so I can crawl in a hole and die." I joked as I covered my face. Santana removed my hands and held them for a second before plopping down on the bed and letting her legs dangle above the ground. She placed her duffle bag next to her and laughed at me.

"Don't be embarrassed, you made me laugh…I needed a good laugh." Santana said looking down at her hands. "Are you okay? You look sort of on edge." Of course, I was on edge. This was the first time we'd talked since our encounter in her car. Every single time I looked at her I thought about the way she'd bitten down on my lip, and every time she fidgeted with her hands, I thought about how she'd moved her hand all the way up my skirt and almost pulled my panties down. It wasn't something easily forgotten for a girl like me.

"Me? Yeah I'm fine." I said all too quickly.

"Okay clearly something is on your mind. Should I go? Is this like a personal thing?" She questioned.

"No, more like this is about what happened in your car a few days ago."

"Oh." She said placed her hands a little behind her body and leaning back. "I figured we'd probably have to talk about that eventually."

"Truthfully, I don't know what to think about it." I said moving closer to her.

"It's a scary day when Rachel Berry doesn't have a long speech as a response." Santana said running her hand through her hair. "I don't know what I was thinking really." She said shyly.

"Well I know what I was thinking." I started. "I was thinking wow this feels amazing." It was Santana's turn to blush. I was now standing between Santana's legs, with each of my hands placed on her thighs.

"I-." Santana's phone buzzed in her pocket and she reached to take it out. Once she saw the caller I.D. she furrowed her eyebrows and gave me a quick look before getting on the bed. "Let me just take this call, I'll be right back." She rushed out of the room and I heard her footsteps get about halfway down the hallway before they stopped. Clearly she didn't want me to hear any part of the conversation.

Privacy had always been important to me so why should I be bothered if Santana needs some?

I took Santana's seat on the bed and idly waited for her. I thought it was kind of strange that Santana always had this duffle bag with her. I wonder what's in it? It's probably just nothing.

Or it's something.

I threw all of my moral standards out the window as I quickly unzipped the bag halfway and peaking in. What I saw was nothing short of shocking. There were stacks of money just sitting there, more stacks then I'd ever seen at one time in my life. What was going on?

I didn't have much time to contemplate and theorize because I heard footsteps approaching and the only thing I could do was zip up the bag and sit there trying to look innocent. "Who was it?" I asked.

"It was my mom; I was surprised she even knows my phone number." Santana said resentfully.

"Why would that surprise you?"

"We don't talk often. We're sort like puppets at home, just nodding and keeping our mouths shut." Santana finally noticed that we'd switched positions and she easily lifted me up and got her seat back on the bed.

"Your duffle bag, I've seen you carry it in the hospital every single time you're here. What's in it?" I was hoping for an explanation that would make me slam my hand against my head and laugh like an idiot because _I _was the one being an idiot. My mind already went to the bad stuff. Drugs, gambling, or even that Santana might be selling her schoolwork for money.

"Oh it's just a change of clothes." She said with that charming smile of hers. I can safely say that I wasn't expecting a lie.

What really scared me was that lying it seemed to come easy for her. She didn't even blink. I wondered what else she was lying about. "I actually should go find my father now. I'll see you tomorrow at school." I was about to dart out of the room when Santana grabbed my wrist.

"You don't have to lie to me, if you didn't want to see me or talk to me then it's fine." She let go of my hand and I continued on my way. I didn't have the heart to tell her that she was the one hurting me, not the other way around. Santana clearly had things going on, things she didn't want my help with, eventually we'd meet each other half way, but until then we'll just have to see.

**Review.**


	26. Money, Charlie, and Hickies

**Okay so here's what I'm getting from the reviews. The Santana and Rachel POVs are the best. Charlie x Brittany should happen. Pezberry needs some action.**

**Well I think you'll enjoy this chapter then.**

Charlie's POV

I was too busy singing _Don't Stop Me Now _and dancing around my kitchen with my earphones on to realize that my mom was standing right there. I jumped when she tapped my shoulder, and I nearly dropped one of the three slices of leftover pizza I was about to eat. I yanked the earphones out of my ears, covered my racing heart, and we both burst out into a fit of laughter.

"Jeez mom you scared me." I told her.

"Well I certainly didn't mean to, but the look on your face was priceless." She said before looking at the plate of food in front of me and frowning. "Why are you eating all that before dinner?"

"Didn't dad tell you? He's got one of those fancy dinner party's at the Lopez house. Quinn's out getting a new dress for it and everything and Dad should be back in about an hour, but don't feel too left out, I'm sure your invite is in the mail somewhere." I joked.

"Why aren't you going Charlie?" My mom asked. I put my plate down leaned my body against the counter behind me.

"Mom…come on, let's get real. Just about all my invites to everything have been revoked." I reminded her. "It's not a big deal; you guys go…have fun or whatever." I took a bite of my cold pizza and my mom watched me for a moment before sighing.

"You're friends with Santana just like Quinn, you can go with us." She said rubbing my shoulder.

"I don't want your permission to go somewhere that I should've been invited to myself." I snapped. I calm down immediately realizing that my mom was the last person I wanted to yell at now. "He doesn't want his lesbian daughter anywhere near his friends. He thinks I'm trash mom."

"No I think it's the hair." My mom joked. I rolled my eyes and wished that I could've just been home alone sulking. At least then, I wouldn't have to deal with my mom's sarcasm. My mom went into the refrigerator and pulled out her tin water bottle. I watched as she took a sip and closed her eyes for a moment with a look of relief on her face after that. "He doesn't think you're trash dear, he just…you know how your father is."

"So do you apparently." I mumbled.

"Excuse me?" She asked furrowing her eyebrows. I took the tin bottle from her and sniffed the inside of it. Cranberry juice and vodka. Well at least she tries to hide it during the day.

"You know how he is more than I do according to the liquid courage you need just to go to a dinner party." My mom looked at me with wide eyes and I just handed her the bottle back and crossed my arms over my chest.

"How long have you-."

"A while." I said with a bitter laugh. "I found out a long time ago. I caught you sneaking some whiskey in the middle of the night. You probably don't remember, but you yanked my wrist so tight that I sprained it. I told dad I'd fallen out of a tree when he asked."

"What about your baby sister?" I looked away from her, feeling this pang of jealously run through my body. _Baby sister_? It figures she'd say something like that.

"I tried to keep it from her I tried as hard as I could." I looked down at the ground contemplating things for a moment. "And calling her my baby sister? God what a fucking joke." She flinched when I cursed, but she was the one trying to disguse vodka as water, so she shouldn't be the one judging here.

"I didn't mean-."

"I know what you meant." I yelled. "I'm Charlie and she's Quinnie, she's the one's who's been getting babied all her life. I remember when grandma died, you were a mess, dad was busy with the funeral service and Quinn was like this freaky pod person walking around like she had nothing to live for. You looked me in the eyes and told me to take care of her because she needed someone right now, as if I didn't need someone. It's not my job to be her mom…that's your job." I could tell I was getting to her because she put the bottle down.

She took my face in her hands and just looked at me for a while. "You tell me how to fix this Charlie. You tell me right now and I'll do whatever I can to help you."

"It's not you mom. It's dad. I spent my whole life feeling like an outsider and now it's worse." I took my mom's hands in mine. "We used to be close, mom. You and I used to go camping in our backyard, just you and I. Now I bet you're just as disgusted with me as dad is-."

"Don't you say that. Don't you dare." She said before wrapping her arms around me. I couldn't even remember the last time my mom had hugged me, but I knew I never wanted to let go. She pulled back after what seemed like five minutes. "I love you no matter who you love."

"Mom I-." I wiped my eyes and smiled. My mom's cell phone buzzed and she picked it up. The conversation was quick, I only heard her said two okay's before she hung up again.

"That was your father, he says that he and Quinn decided to just go straight there and that I should meet them there." She put her phone back in her pocket. "You go upstairs and get dressed-."

"No mom, you go, I don't want to make a scene over a dinner party. Plus you don't want me there, my hair will be the main attraction, and I'm afraid I'll class the place up too much." I joked.

"Okay dear." My mom kissed my cheek before she grabbed the tin bottle. I thought she was going to take it with her but she walked right past me with it and dumped all the contents of it in the sink. I'd never been more proud of my mother than I was right now. Just as she was about to exit the kitchen she turned around again. "I just realized that Quinn tends to have Santana and Brittany over a lot, are you like-?"

"No mom!" I said flushing red. "I mean…I used to have a crush on Santana, but that ship has sailed."

"She's a beautiful girl. Is she, um…what do you kids call it these days? Your _type_?"

"I dunno mom, I don't think I have a _type_." I informed her.

"Just if you do happen to have a girl over, the doors open rule applies." She said trying to sound stern but it just came out nervous.

"Can do mom." I said waving goodbye to her. I took my pizza and went upstairs. I stopped when I heard movement in Quinn's room. Oh great, as soon as things seem to be looking up someone decides to break into our house. I used my foot to slowly open the door while I continued eating my pizza. I figured that if I was going to die then I could at least die with something delicious in my stomach.

"I have been looking for Quinn's duck shirt for like ten minutes; do you know where it is?" I found Brittany standing in front of Quinn's dresser looking through each drawer. I smiled at the sight, leave it to Brittany to sneak into my house without me or my mom knowing.

"I uh…think it might be here." I said going to the bottom drawer and grabbing the shirt for her. I handed it to her and she smiled. "Britt, do you wanna watch a movie or something?" I suggested.

"Sure." She said following me into my room. I turned on my TV and popped in _Mean Girls_ because it was just about the only DVD Quinn had left upstairs. Brittany was already lying on my bed with her head propped up on her hands. "You want something to eat?" I asked her. She shook her head no, took Quinn's duck shirt, and smiled. She pulled off the William McKinley High School shirt she was wearing. I was too shocked to look away.

Brittany's body was amazing. She wasn't as strong as Santana was, but she was tall, and her legs…God her legs. They went on for miles. It seemed like Brittany was toying with me when she fumbled with the duck shirt more than a few times before she finally put it on. I sat down letting my feet hang over the edge of the bed as I continued eating my pizza. Brittany was on the bed behind me, kneeling on her knees and resting her hands on my shoulders.

"Can I touch your hair?" She asked.

"Sure go ahead." I told her enjoying the way she ran her hands through my hair. She occasionally scratched my scalp and I loved that feeling. She pulled my hair up and then over my left shoulder. Seconds later I felt her lips against my neck. "B, what a-are you doing?" I asked putting my plate down and turning my head so I could see her.

"Turn back around." She whispered. I did as I was told, and her lips returned to my neck. Her tongue swiped just below my earlobe, before she nipped down against my neck. "Can I come over there?" It took a second for me to realize she was asking me if she could kiss me. I nodded and she got off the bed and stood in front of me for a moment before straddling my hips. I held onto her thighs to keep her balanced as she dipped her head down and kissed me. "You're a really good kisser." She complimented and I smiled into the kiss.

She moved her body against mine, grinding her hips against me. It felt amazing.

My hand moved higher up on her shirt. "Stop being silly Charlie. If you want to touch me…" She took my hand and pushed it under her shirt and higher until my hand was on her breast. "…then touch me."

…

Santana's POV

I offered wine to Debbie and Ronald Jones, but they both declined saying something about how they didn't want to come home trashed and leave a bad impression on their son's girlfriend. I laughed just so they'd think that I cared. I took the wine back to the kitchen where Quinn was waiting with a smirk on her face. "How did you manage to make skinny jeans look classy?" She asked examining my outfit.

"It's called being hot, I was sorta born with this gift." I joked. "Wine?" I offered jokingly and she laughed. She twirled in her dress for me and I rolled my eyes at how satisfied with herself she looked.

"You'd better tell me I look hot or I'll smash that bottle over your head." Quinn threatened.

"I've got a ragging hard-on for you, I could fuck you senseless right here." I said dryly.

"Well looks like the party's in here." I turned around just to find Hiram Berry standing there with wine in his hand and a lopsided grin on his face. Leroy Berry came in the room moments later putting his hand on Hiram's shoulder.

"I take it you're Quinn Fabray. I'm Leroy and this is my partner Hiram." Both men shook Quinn's hand while I just stood there slightly embarrassed that Hiram heard what I'd said, even if he knew it was a joke.

"My dad never told me that you were coming." I said scratching the back of my head.

"Oh it was very last minute." Leroy said.

"By that he means he weaseled his way into an invitation, but I'm glad he did. I'm a sucker for a dinner party, makes me feel like Gatsby or something." Hiram said using that eccentric way of moving his hand about excitedly while he spoke.

"Where's Berr-I mean, where's Rachel?" Quinn asked. Judging from the look on her face she really hoped they'd left Rachel at home.

"She's introducing her to everyone in the room. It's something I taught her, you never know when you'll need someone in the future, and it helps to have contact with people in high places." Hiram explained.

"Quinn, I thought you had a twin. Where is she?" Leroy asked.

"Well you see, she's older by a few minutes, and as you know we're a very traditional family, which means the oldest gets the inheritance. So I had to kill her." Hiram Berry's mouth hit the floor before he broke out into laughter. Leroy was a little more shocked by Quinn's humor and I nudged her in the side.

"Hiram come on, let's go socialize with the adults." Leroy said taking Hiram by the arm.

"Ha, no way you go ahead, these kids are hilarious." Hiram said trying to wave his husband off. Leroy pulled his husband out of the room by force which caused Quinn and I to exchange looks and laugh.

"I totally thought your dad wouldn't invite them. I figured he'd have a 'no way, no gay' policy or something." Quinn said.

"You're one to talk about my dad. Apparently that's the policy your dad has. That's pretty awful of him not to let Charlie come." Quinn shrugged and poured herself some _Pepsi_. "Which is too bad I really could've used someone to balance out your bitchiness." Quinn mocked astonishment and I held back a laugh.

"Rude." Quinn said leaning back so that she could see into the living room. "Oh red alert the Yentl is making her first appearance." Quinn said just loud enough for Rachel to hear as she entered the room. "Oh hi, midget."

"Somehow I hoped that you'd be nice to me because we at something formal." Rachel said grabbing herself a cup and filling it with water.

"You overestimated her." I said. Rachel was wearing a relatively tight black dress with three inch heels. The dress went down to her mid-thighs and it was only held up by spaghetti straps. She'd straightened her hair, worn a little extra makeup, and even wore earrings. You'd have to be blind not to see how amazing she looked right now.

"Oh my god Santana Jesus, would you stop eye fucking her." Quinn snipped. My face warmed as Rachel bit her lip to keep from smiling.

"Are you jealous Quinnie?" I asked trying to irritate Quinn.

"Not really, I mean you did say you'd fuck me senseless earlier." Quinn remarked with a smug smile. Rachel gave me a questioning stare.

"Well with the way Rachel looks right now, I'd do all kinds of things to her." I held Rachel's stare too long and Quinn noticed.

"Alright jokes over, do you want to ask my parents about taking you to the cheer competition in a few weeks?" Quinn asked already walking towards the doorway.

"Actually Quinn I sort of wanted to talk to Santana privately for a moment." Rachel said.

"No way are you gonna ditch me for dwarf." Quinn said waiting for me in the doorway. When she saw that I wasn't going to move she rolled her eyes and left us alone.

"I think she hates me more now." Rachel said not really sounding like she was bothered by the whole idea. "Santana, we should really talk." I nodded and looked around. It wasn't like anyone could hear us right here. "It's about the money in your duffle bag." I took her hand in mine and brought her to the back staircase. We crept up the steps quietly, and I pulled her into my room, being sure to shut my door quietly.

"How'd you know about the money?" I asked her.

"That's not the point." She said. "You should just start explaining yourself because, honestly, I've gone through a lot of scenarios for where it came from and they're all bad." I crossed my arms over my chest.

"Like what? Like I'm some sort of drug dealer?" She looked up at me and I frowned. "Oh my god! I'm not!" I told her. "That's not even close."

"Okay, then just tell me. What's the big deal?" She questioned. I sat down on my bed and patted the spot next to me, where she sat down after a few moments.

"It's my mom's money, most of it at least. I had to go through so much trouble to get it. We created this private bank account just for us, so my dad wouldn't control all of our money." I began. "The money, it's not for me. The money is for my grandmother…not the one of my father's side, she's just as bad as he is, but my grandma Ana. She's in the hospital…well in Hospice. I'm using that money to pay for everything she needs." I explained.

"I'm so sorry to hear that…how long? I mean how long does she have before she…" Rachel looked down at her hands.

"Two months tops, before this, I didn't even know what Hospice was. I had to look online. I just like went on my computer and typed it in. The first thing that came up was this album by _The Antlers_. Have you heard of them?" I asked.

"Yeah, I listen to them sometimes." She replied.

"Yeah, they've got this album, called _Hospice_, and it's a concept album about a patient in hospice. The person taking care of them feels helpless because they know that there's only one way things can end. I listened to the whole album twice, just sitting there in my room. My favorite song on the whole album is called _Wake_, which is weird because that's the last song, that's the one when the patient dies." I took a deep breath and then looked over at Rachel. "My dad doesn't know about this, he doesn't know that I go and see her."

"Why not?" Rachel questioned.

"When she got sick, immediately she knew she was going to die, my dad went and threatened her, telling her that she had to put my mom as the sole beneficiary in her will. She did it not realizing that if she did all the money would go straight to him." I thought back to the talks I'd had with my mom about this. She kept pleading with me, telling me that if I medaled in my father's financial affairs then it wouldn't turn out right. I didn't think it'd turn out like this. "All I did was visit her once, I didn't even talk about the will, but a few days later she changed it completely. Making me the only beneficiary, and being sure to put the money in my account."

"So your dad's going to go ballistic." Rachel said nodding in understanding. "I'm sorry I pushed all this information out of you, I was just worried-."

"No it feels good to tell someone." I told her. Rachel wrapped her arms around my torso and kissed my cheek before puling away. Sure Rachel was only getting half of the story from me, but it was more than anyone else knew. "Do you think we should go back downstairs?" I asked glancing at my watch.

"Hold on let me just look around for a second." Rachel said standing to her feet and walking over to my dresser. She looked at the pictures I had there, mostly of my sister and I. I watched her for a few minutes, shamelessly checking her out at one point before I got up and stood behind her. I kept the distance between our bodies for a moment peering over her shoulder to see that she'd picked up an old mixtape of mine that Charlie had made me.

I placed my hands on my dresser, making it so that there was no space between our bodies. She pushed back against me and turned her head a little towards me. She wiggled her hips against me and I smirked. What a tease. She had the right to be a tease though, her body was amazing. "So here we are…our bodies touching…what are you gonna do about it?" I pulled my hands back, and toyed with the bottom of her dress. I tugged her dress up until the bottom of the dress was right at the bottom of her panties. I pushed my body against hers harder as I pressed my lips against her neck.

"Do you like that?" I whispered in her ear as I pressed my knee between her legs and pushed it up against her panties. She pushed back against me when I touched her core. She mumbled something unrecognizable to me and I turned her around and kissed her soft lips. I find that I really like kissing Rachel Berry, I like the way she tries to dominate me, how she wraps her hands around my neck, and toys with my ears.

"You don't have to be so gentle with me." She said placing my hand on her ass. "I sort of like when you try and dominate me." I sucked on the spot right below her ear, leaving a reddish and purple hickey.

"Try?" I questioned. Lifted her body up on my dresser and using her thighs to pull her closer to me. "I want this off." I told her as I pulled her straps down and kissed her shoulder.

"Take it off then." She dared me.

A knock on the door interrupted us and I groaned. "Mother fucker." I muttered. "Um…yeah, who is it?" I said stepping back so that Rachel could get down from my dresser and fix her dress.

"Oh it's just Hiram; your mom needs help with something." He said from the other side of the door.

"You can…uh…" I looked at Rachel who gave me a thumbs up. "You can come in." He opened the door before I even finished the sentence. He looked at his daughter first before smiling.

"I'm sure this dinner party is a real bore for you both." He said. "Just about an hour more baby doll, then we'll go home."

"Sounds good dad." Rachel said with a smile. "Let's go downstairs."

"Yeah…" When Hiram turned his back, I smacked Rachel's butt causing her to yelp. "Let's go."

…

Rachel's POV

"Quinnie and Sammy sitting in a tree K-I-S-S-I-N-G." Santana taunted. I tried not to laugh, but I couldn't help it. Quinn shoved Santana and she fell backwards into her seat. "Violence is not the answer." Santana said with a smile.

"Leave Quinn alone." Mercedes defended.

"I t-thought you and Puck were a t-thing." Tina said looking over at Quinn questioning eyes.

"We were and now I'm single. And I don't like anyone, so would you all shut up." Quinn said as she opened up her laptop. "Berry why aren't you being annoying? It's annoying me that you're not annoying me."

"I'm merely observing this spectacle from a distance." I said with a smile. "Besides this is a group project and I wouldn't want to take over anything, that'd be selfish."

"Okay quick someone call the cops so we can have this imposter arrested." Quinn said.

"Oh give it a rest Quinnifer. So what's our next song option?" Santana asked looking over Quinn's shoulder at the computer screen.

"Crazy in Love." She said. Just then I heard the door open and footsteps. I immediately looked up to see Finn and Mike walking towards us.

"Spies!" I yelled pointing towards them. Quinn slammed her computer shut and glared the two boys down.

"Relax ladies, just looking for…" Mike reached under a chair to grab his notebook. "This."

"We'll see you ladies later." Mike said with a smile. I waited for them to leave before I stood up and peered over Quinn's other shoulder. Santana and I shared a smile before returning our gazes to the screen.

"Why don't we just sing _Happy Birthday_?" Brittany asked from where she was laying on the floor. I looked over at her and saw a bright red hickey right on her pulse point.

"Nice hickey Brittany, where'd you get it?" I was curious and now so was everyone else in the room.

"I could ask you the same thing." Brittany said nodding towards me. Everyone's heads snapped towards me. Mercedes and Quinn jumped out of their seats and began poking and prodding at my neck.

"Well I'll be damned." Quinn said. "So who's the unlucky guy?" She asked.

"Sorry Quinn, but I don't kiss and tell." I took Quinn's laptop and opened it back up. "And now back to song selections." I said trying to get everyone to forget about it.

"Wait I'm not leaving here without a least a little gossip. Where'd you get your hickey Brittany? Did you hook up yesterday?" Mercedes asked the innocent looking blonde.

"First we have to define hooking up." Quinn said. "I mean there's kissing, groping, below the belt-."

"Just kissing and a lot of touching...I mean there was some under the shirt stuff." Brittany said with a smile.

"Britt, doll face come on, give us the deets. Who was it?" Santana asked.

"Charlie." Everyone in the room froze, including Quinn and Santana who turned to look at one another with their mouths practically on the floor.

"What?"

**Review Please.**


	27. I'm Falling

Quinn's POV

"Quinn calm down." Santana warned for what seemed like the millionth time. I looked over at her, opened my mouth to say something, but didn't. We were waiting for Charlie to come home. I'd texted her because I knew if I called her I'd probably end up scaring her out of ever coming home. I just couldn't believe what she did. Hooking up with Brittany? I mean come on, what the actual fuck?

"I didn't even say anything." I replied to Santana, trying to let her know that she didn't have to be the responsible one right now, trying to calm me down when I knew she was just as pissed. She was just better at hiding her anger than I was.

"Don't hit her." Santana warned me.

"Okay now you're just insulting me." I told her as I let my hair out of my ponytail. Santana sat down on my bed and watched with amusement. "What are you staring at?"

"You." She said crossing her legs and nodding at my hands which were currently shaking. "You've been so on edge lately. You've been snapping at everybody like it's your job. What's on your mind?"

"Why can't I just be a bitch naturally? Why must there be a reason?" I asked. Santana was about to go into her whole deep and metaphorical rant when we heard the front door open. The footsteps were distinctively Charlie, and I swung my door open so I could wait for her to walk upstairs.

From the rummaging I heard in the kitchen, I assumed she was grabbing herself a snack. I tapped my foot for about two minutes, then bit my nails, and then moved into full on pacing by the time Charlie finally hustled up the steps. She had her foot halfway into my room when her face fell as soon as she saw the death glare I was giving her. Usually Santana would be on her side in situations like this, but right now Santana was looking at Charlie the exact same way that I was.

Charlie slowly walked into the room, placing her plate of pizza squares on my dresser and standing in front of both of us. "Why the glares ladies? Look if this is about me using up all the hot water this morning then I'm sorry."

"Charlie come here." I said waving my hand for her to move closer. She eyed me suspiciously.

"I am here." She replied back in that annoyingly smartass sort of way.

"No I mean closer." Charlie paused for a good thirty seconds before sulking over towards me. As soon as she was within arms length, I smacked her clear across her face. It was safe to say that Charlie and Santana were at equal levels of shock because neither one of them moved for a while.

Santana jumped up and rushed between us, pushing me back so that I was out of smacking distance. Charlie held her reddening face and her eyes darkened with rage. "What the fuck Luce? Could you at least tell me what I'm getting smacked for?"

"For hooking up with Brittany you skank!" I yelled at her.

"Whoa, hold on. How does that make me a skank?" Charlie questioned. I squinted my eyes and gave her my best _you'd better be kidding or I'm gonna smack you again_ face. "You slept with Puck so what does that make you, huh?"

"This isn't about me-." I started but Santana put her hand over my mouth to stop me.

"That's fucking different and you know it Charlie. This is Brittany we're talking about right now, I mean come on. God Charlie!" Santana said taking her hand away from my mouth.

"You know what, while you're going around and slutting this house up, you might as well go after Santana too." I said crossing my arms over my chest.

"Already tried." Charlie snapped back. I looked at her thinking she was joking for a second, but when Santana didn't reply to tell me that Charlie was lying, I lost it.

"…that's it where the fuck is dad's gun?" I said trying to push past Charlie and leave my room, but she stopped me before I even got to the threshold of my door.

"We were going to tell you." Charlie said holding onto my arm. "I told her that I liked her, believe me I tried to get with Santana, but nothing happened. I swear we were going to tell you." I turned and faced Santana looking at her in disbelief.

"When?" I asked looking directly at Santana. "When we were thirty and drunk? When you didn't think it'd mattered anymore? It wouldn't have mattered if you'd just told me when it happened, but it certainly fucking matters now." I turned to Charlie using my eyes to tell her how much I was hurt right now. "Okay, now you can both get the hell out of my room." I said. Charlie new a worthless argument when she saw one and she grabbed her pizza squares and went across the hall to her room.

I looked over at Santana and glared at her until she went to go grab her backpack. "Quinn-."

"Don't _Quinn_ me Santana." I warned her putting my hand up to stop her from saying anything else.

"I thought if you knew about Charlie liking me then things would get weird. If you blame anyone, blame me, I told her to keep quiet about it." Santana told me.

"I wouldn't have freaked out. I know that's what you thought I would do but I wouldn't. Yeah I used to think it was weird and maybe a little scary, but I want my sister to be happy. I don't like when my friends or family sneak around me it makes me feel useless." I explained to her. "That was wrong of you."

"Can we just not end on a bad note?" She pleaded.

"San, this is a big deal to me and I can't just forgive you just because you ask nicely." She sighed and pulled her backpack over her shoulders looking like I'd just broken her heart in half.

"Fine, I just didn't want to leave things like this-."

"Why are you talking to me like this is the last time I'll see you?" I asked her trying to look into her eyes. She wouldn't look at me. Something was wrong, completely wrong.

"No one's ever promised tomorrow." She tried to step past me but I grabbed her shoulders and held her in place.

"Stop talking like that." I grabbed onto her shoulders harder. "Don't you dare talk like that."

"You're over thinking everything I'm saying-."

"No I'm not!" I shouted at her. "You fucking sound suicidal right now. Seriously San, stop bullshitting with me, what is going on in your life?"

"I need to take care of something tonight okay? Just trust me." I didn't understand what was going on but I did trust her. She was scaring me, scaring me so much that I started crying. "Hey, if you get emotional on me I'll have to hit you." I tried to laugh but I just couldn't. I wrapped my arms around her and she hugged me back. "Just trust me Q, I've got everything under control."

Santana's POV

The house was tense. It was what I'd expected when I got home. I took my shoes off, put my backpack in my room, and went down to the kitchen. My mom was cooking, I figured we were waiting for my father to come home. She flinched when she saw me but relaxed when she realized I wasn't him. "I didn't think you'd be home tonight."

"You think I want to be here?" I looked down at my feet. "I shouldn't be mad at you…it's him I'm pissed at."

"Santana keep your voice down, he'll be home at any moment." She said fixing my father's plate of food.

"Are you afraid of him?" I asked her. She shook her head like that was some sort of answer. "Liar."

"Don't talk to me like that." She warned. "And why are you asking? You're not?"

"No, I'm not scared of him or anything. Fuck him." My mom grabbed my arm and looked me dead in the eyes.

"You don't think I've tried to get us out of this situation? You don't think I hate being treated like this?" She snapped.

"I don't know what you think. In this house you are nothing, we are nothing. You can do whatever you want, but I refuse to be owned by anyone, especially not him." I heard the garage door open and soon my father walked into the house. He looked at my mother, presumably wondering why we were silent.

There was a knock at the door and my father went to the front door and opened it. I couldn't hear much of the conversation, but it wasn't a long one. My father returned to the kitchen moments later with an envelope in his hands. "Honey go upstairs." It wasn't a question as to who he was talking to. He'd never call me _honey_, not if his life depended on it.

My mom finished fixing his plate before putting it on the table and obediently going upstairs. My father waited until he heard a door close upstairs before he slowly approached me. "A lawyer huh? For what?" He questioned shoving the large envelope against my chest.

"Let's just cut to the part where you get pissed-." He smacked me across the face. "That's more like the dad I know." He grabbed me by the collar.

"You devious little child. What do you need a lawyer for?" I opened the envelope and pulled out the final papers. I handed them to him so he could look over them. "Emancipation…" He said between clenched teeth. "Of all the idiotic things…you just don't learn."

"No I think I have learned, or I've learned enough. You don't want me here and I don't want to be here, let's make this simple." I held a pen out for him to take, but he snatched it out of my hand and threw it on the floor.

"Don't fuck with me little girl." He grabbed my wrist and slammed me back against the refrigerator. I pushed back, forcing his hands off me; I did the one thing that angers him the most. He hit me twice this time, not stopping between blows to allow me to recover. "You are a child; you don't decide one damn thing in this house."

"I'm making my choice now, I want out." My lip was busted and I could feel a spot just above my temple seeping blood down towards my eyebrow. "And you can't stop me." He wrapped his hand around my neck, and I could feel my eyes begin to flutter. He brought me to the brink of passing out and then he let go, causing me to drop to the floor.

"You don't have a choice." He kicked me and I covered my face to prevent a broken nose. His shoe collided with my ribcage and I fell to the ground. He went to kick me again but I covered his shoe with my body to prevent it from moving. I used all my strength to get back to my feet, shoving him back as hard as I could. I grabbed the papers out of his hand. "You are a child, an idiot, a loser."

"Not this time." He tried to hit me again but I ducked to avoid the blow. I bolted out of the house, opening the front door and running all the way down my street. I stopped when I felt that I was far enough away. I leaned over, breathing in deeply. "Shit." I muttered to myself when I realized I didn't have my keys in my pocket. Or my inhaler. Where was I going to go?

Quinn's house was too far. Brittany was out of town. I only had one place I could go, Rachel's house.

It was true; running always did something to me. Hearing my shoes collide with the wet ground, repeatedly, the sound kept me going. I was hurt, but hurt isn't dead, and I was going to continue fighting until I couldn't anymore.

…

Rachel's POV

The doorbell ringing was something unexpected. At this time, my fathers and I were just casually sitting at the kitchen table drinking tea and coffee, while we discussed our plans for Thanksgiving break. I suggested New York, like I do every year, but my fathers were leaning towards Maine, to visit my grandparents and a few cousins. I wasn't completely opposed to the idea, but I still wanted to get my way. Nonetheless, the doorbell ringing and interrupting our conversation seemed a bit odd at this hour, just past 9 o'clock.

My fathers exchanged glances and then smiles that let me know that they weren't getting up right now and I would have to get the door. I rolled my eyes and stood up. "You two are shameless." I said over my shoulder as I walked towards our front door. I tried to look through the peephole but then I remembered that a group of jocks spray-painted it last year so now we couldn't see anything.

I opened the door to find a figure facing away from me. Clothes soaked through, hair clinging to her neck, and one hand gripping the railing by the porch for support. At the sound of the door opening completely she turned around to face me. "Santana-." She put her hand over my mouth and I finally took in her appearance. She had a cut on her forehead just below her hairline that was bleeding, and her lip was busted up pretty bad. I could see a few other bruises on her cheek, but right now her eyes were demanding my attention.

"Listen to me Rachel." She whispered. "Your dad's cannot see me like this." I nodded and grabbed her by the shirt and pulling her inside. She kept her head down and quickly moved towards the steps, out of the sight of my fathers.

"Who is that Rachel?" My daddy said starting to stand up. I rushed into the kitchen while I shooed Santana upstairs. "Are they going upstairs?"

"It's Santana, she's in a very bad mood…bad break up." I lied. I grabbed my cup of tea, which was almost full and took it with me as I went upstairs. My fathers probably knew I was lying, but they'd ask me about it in the morning. Right now, I needed to be with Santana.

When I got into my room, Santana was taking off her shirt, and I set my cup of tea down. Her movements were frantic and clumsy, and I wanted to tell her to just stop and breathe, but I didn't know how to approach this. It was only now that I noticed the discarded wet envelope sitting on my nightstand. It hardly seemed important in comparison to Santana's battered state.

I went into my dresser and pulled out pajama pants and a t-shirt, handing them to her. She pulled on the pants first, but hesitated with the shirt. I walked over towards her and touched my fingertips to a purple bruise slowly forming over a few ribs. "I think they're broken, two…maybe three ribs, but you should let my father check for you." She shook her head no and I decided not to push it.

"Does this have to do with Charlie?" I assumed that she'd gotten into a fight. I don't know, maybe something with drugs. She'd told me before that she and Charlie had gotten into trouble like this before.

"Charlie?" She asked looking at me with curious eyes. "No, why would Charlie have anything to do…" A looked of realization came over her face and she looked down. "Oh…I lied about that. Those bruises from before didn't have anything to do with Charlie."

"What?" I knew what she was saying, or at least I knew what she was trying to say. I just, couldn't look at her knowing all this now. Why hadn't she just told me? I could've handled it, I mean I'm handling it now. "He hits you." I said answering my own question. "I'm calling the police." Before I could even walk over to my nightstand to get my phone Santana grabbed me by my hips.

"You can't. It's not that simple." She started.

"It seems pretty simple from where I'm standing." I said frustrated and confused. Why doesn't she want help?

"I know that." She pulled me closer to her and pressed her lips to my cheek. "That envelope is for my emancipation. I don't have his signature yet, but I just need a little time to get it finalized. I won't go back there, so I'm alright now…but you can't tell your dads about this." I nodded my head in understanding even though I didn't understand completely. "I'm sorry I lied to you, I should've told you of all people."

"If you didn't tell Brittany, Charlie, or Quinn about it, then why on earth would you tell me?" I asked.

"I…" She took my hands and pulled me towards her as she slowly stepped backwards towards my bed. She sat down, still shirtless, while I stood between her legs. She kept her hands on my hips, toying with the fabric of my skirt with her pinkies. "Do you like me Rachel?" She looked up at me hopefully.

"Isn't it obvious?" I asked looking down bashfully at her hands as they went higher, until her fingers were massaging the bare skin just above my hips and under my shirt.

"Well I like you too so…" She lifted my shirt up just enough for her to kiss me just below my belly button. I practically melted at the touch and she smiled when she pulled back. She grabbed the dry shirt that I'd gotten for her and pulled it on over her head, I pouted because as much as I wanted her to be comfortable I still found myself drooling over her body. "Would you rather I keep it off?" She joked as she stood and planted a kiss on my lips.

"Kinda." I said as I pushed her back down to a seated position. "Now let me clean your face up for you." I went out into the hallway and grabbed alcohol pads and a getting towel, dampening it, and returning to my room. I stood where I had before, between her legs, as I opened the packaging of the small alcohol pad.

I discarded the small packaging in a trashcan nearby as I began gently dabbing her cut just below her hairline. She closed her eyes and winced before wrapping her arms around my stomach making it so we were a lot closer than before. I tried not to get distracted by her roaming hands but I couldn't held it. I stayed focused on the task at hand, cleaning all of her wounds and tossing the used alcohol pads in the trashcan.

When she pinch my butt I yelped falling forward in surprise. She began laughing as she kept me from falling with her hands on my butt. "You look very happy with yourself." I said gasping as she squeezed her hands down against my backside.

"For a white girl you've got a really nice-." I cut her off before she could continue.

"Finish that sentence and I'll never let you kiss me again." I said and she bit her lip and smiled.

"What I'm trying to say is that you're very sexy." Without warning, she lifted me up easily, making me straddle her hips.

"You little tease." I said letting her run her hands up and down my thighs. She leaned in to kiss me, but I pulled my head back. "You've had a long day and I think you need some rest. So…" I pecked her on the lips. "We're going to bed." She groaned when got off her lap. I went to my bathroom and changed into my pajamas fully aware that Santana was trying to sneak a peak at me. I ignored her leering and got under my covers. Santana slugged over to turn off my light before she joined me. It wasn't long before I felt gentle hands wrapping around my body. "San…" I dragged out.

"I just want to hold you. Is that okay?" She asked.

"Oh…of course that's okay." I held her arms closer to me and smiled as she kissed my forehead. I waited until I was sure she was asleep. Until her breathing became less labored and a gentle rhythm emerged. I looked over my shoulder at her bruises. Al I could think about was how she told me not to care about her just two months ago. I thought about all the distance she'd tried to keep between us, but now she'd come to my house for comfort and safety. Everything had changed now. "I think I'm falling for you." I whispered before I closed my eyes and dozed off.

**Review Please.**


	28. This Never Happened

**Sorry for the late update, I was out of town. Anyway enjoy.**

Santana's POV

When I woke up I panicked. There were two or three seconds when I legitimately thought, I was at home, in my bed, and my father was the one downstairs rustling around. I moved my arms from where they were nestled under the pillow in front of me. I rolled over and looked around the room for a moment until I realized that Rachel wasn't in here. I sighed, louder than I intended, and I fell back down on the bed starring up at the ceiling.

Well this was unfortunate.

Most of me just wanted to wake up beside Rachel; I wanted her in my arms again. It was stupid, I know it was stupid, but somehow she made me feel safe. Even I can admit how dumb that was, Rachel couldn't do anything to protect me, she couldn't help me, but she was here.

Well she was at least in the same house. I tried to listen to see if I could hear the footsteps downstairs. Two pairs for sure, but someone could be sitting down. I wondered why Rachel didn't wake me up. Maybe she thought I needed to sleep in, it was 9:30. It took me three minutes of worry to realize that it was a faculty workday and Rachel and I didn't have school today.

I decided it would actually be best if I got up. I stood and pulled off the oversized t-shirt I'd been sleeping in and put back on the shirt I was wearing from last night. I checked in the mirror and it wasn't dirty, just slightly damp but that wasn't a big deal. The big deal was that the cut on my lip was visible and so was the cut on my eyebrow. If anyone asked I could just lie, I was really good at that. I kept the pajama pants on and left Rachel's room and headed downstairs.

I didn't quite know what to expect when I walked into the kitchen. I figured the Berry family ate breakfast like they ate their dinner, together and with big smiles on their faces. That was the opposite of what I found when I walk in. Leroy Berry wasn't there, but Hiram was, and even though his newspaper was covering most of his face I could still see his eyebrows furrowing like he was contemplating something important. Rachel looked no different as she continued cutting up some fruit.

Neither one of them noticed me at first. I could've been dressed as a teddy bear and neither of them would've seen me. I was just sort of there. And I realized that even though Rachel and Hiram Berry weren't talking, they'd just finished talking, or more specifically they'd just finished arguing.

I purposefully cleared my throat as I walked further into the room, and they both looked up at me. Hiram looked worried and Rachel did too, but she immediately went over towards me trying to give me a small smile. "I didn't expect you to be up so early. I pegged you for a heavy sleeper."

"I normally am, but when I woke up cuddling my pillow I figured I should probably come downstairs." Hiram smiled and I blushed when I realized how weird I must have sounded right now. I glanced over at the fruit and wondered if that was all they had to eat. I was starving but I didn't want to overstay my welcome.

"Are you hungry?" Rachel asked reaching over and grabbing a bowl and putting some fruit in it.

"Rachel, I'm sure Santana wants more to eat than just fruit." Hiram said as he folded up his newspaper and placed his coffee cup in his dishwasher. "I'm off to work. Should I bring home dinner for you girls later?" He asked. I looked to Rachel for the answer.

"No I'll make something." Rachel said grabbing some bread out of their breadbox. Rachel popped the bread in the toaster and Hiram Berry placed a kiss on Rachel's forehead. "I'll see you tonight daddy."

"Have a nice day Mr. Berry." I said. He stopped mid-step, he looked at me for a moment, and I could tell that he knew what had happened. Maybe Rachel told them, maybe she didn't, but it was just that one look that let me know.

"You too Santana." He rested his hand on my shoulder, looking me in the eyes with an intense stare. I took a step back, it wasn't a flinch I just didn't feel comfortable because I didn't know what he'd do with this information. "Bye girls." It didn't take him long to leave, it seemed like he couldn't wait to get out of there.

Once I was sure that Mr. Berry was gone, I positioned myself against the counter so that my elbows were supporting me as I leaned back. I could watch Rachel from where I was standing, admire her eyes, and look at the extra fruit she was cutting. I thought it would be less tense without her father there, I was wrong. It actually seemed more intense now. "Is something the mater?" I asked her quietly.

"I just don't like lying to my fathers." I looked down at my feet and sighed loudly.

"I didn't mean to put you in this position. Maybe I should go-."

"Where? To Quinn's? Brittany's? They'll have too many questions and you shouldn't have to go through that. We'll just stay here and relax for today." Rachel explained handing me a bowel of fruit and then toast with strawberry jam on top of them. I happily took the food and went to the table to sit down and eat. Rachel sat next to me and began eating as well. "Does everything taste fine? Do you want anything else to eat?"

"No this is perfect." I said with a small smile. I looked up and bit back a giggle when I saw a bit of juice from the piece of watermelon that she'd just bitten into. I placed my fork down and reached my hand up to wipe the juice away. I let my hand stay there, my four fingers touching the spot just below her ear. My thumb was against her chin and all I had to do was move it up to wipe it off.

But I didn't want to wipe it off. I wanted to kiss it off, to lick it off. "What?" Rachel asked quietly.

"You just have a little…" Rachel immediately swiped her hand across her bottom lip, cleaning the juice from where it was. "Yeah you got it." I said returning to my focus on eating.

"Do you want to make today a lazy day?" Rachel asked.

"Oh how can I pass that up?" I ate my last bite of toast and grinned. "I'm really happy I showed up at your place last night."

"Me too, I wish I could've taken better care of you." Rachel said before grabbing my hand and taking me upstairs. I followed her to her bed and watched as she went over to look at her DVDs. She looked adorable with her pajamas on and I wished she would just hurry up so that we could cuddle together. I just liked having her in my arms. It wasn't a big deal, really, but she was so tiny and I could hold her easily.

"What do you mean? You took amazing care of me." I assured her as she picked _Friday the 13__th_, the new version, to watch. She flicked off her lights and even closed her blinds just for dramatic effect. "I didn't think you'd ever have a scary movie."

"I'm full of surprises." Rachel said before jumping onto the bed next to me. She was smiling now, it seemed like whatever was bothering her earlier dissolved into nothing now. "And I don't usually watch them, but since you're here…wait I'll probably end up embarrassing myself even more. If I scream don't laugh."

"I won't laugh." I promised. I wrapped my arm around Rachel's waist and pulled her close to me as we both leaned back against the pillows on Rachel's bed. "I've seen this movie so I know when the scary parts are." I informed her. "I'll warn you and you can close your eyes." Rachel nodded her head and I rested my chin on top of her head. She tried to push me away but I held on tighter. "What's your deal munchkin."

"I want to be able to move my head." Rachel said nodding her head up and colliding with my chin. I pulled my head back and looked down at her. "That's better." Rachel said with a smile. I leaned down and kissed the spot just below her eye. "W-what was that for?" Rachel questioned.

"I don't know…I just felt like it I guess." I said trying to return my eyes to the TV.

"You just felt like kissing me?" She questioned raising an eyebrow and making it impossible for me to look at the screen. She leaned up to kiss me but I moved back. "Did you just pull back? Talk about insulting." She said wiggling out of my grasp.

"I'm not…it's not…" I started but then decided to start again. "You know I don't mean it." I pushed Rachel's hair back behind her ear. I pecked her on the nose and she smiled. It was only now that I realized that the movie had changed paces and suddenly a very erotic sex scene was playing. I looked at Rachel's faded hickey and smiled at my work.

"What are you smiling about?" Rachel asked as she lifted her body up and sat between my legs. I wrapped my arms around her torso and nuzzled my nose against her neck. "You're cozy."

"No you are." I said kissing her just below her ear. "Your hickey looks cute." I informed Rachel.

"Good thing my dads can't see it otherwise I don't know what I would say to them. Me, personally, I sort of like it. You have talent and I appreciate your talent." She joked playfully. "I sort of like symmetry and my right side is kind of bare." Rachel taunted tilting her head just a little bit to her left exposing her neck to me. I smirked and leaned down and kissed her pulse point, bringing her impossibly close to my body. I nipped down on her shoulder over her shirt and Rachel pushed back harder against me.

"If you don't kiss me now I'm gonna smack you." Rachel positioned herself so that she was straddling my hips and holding my face in her hands. I tried to go in for the kiss but she pulled back with a chuckle, sticking out her tongue and kissing my nose. I wanted to kiss her and she wanted me to kiss her so I pulled her in and crashed our lips together. Our tongues fought for dominance for a second, Rachel held off just so I could win. I think she liked when I touched her hips, I know she loved when I touched the back of her thighs, because she'd move against my body tentatively and her breath would hitch just a little.

I really liked fooling around with Rachel. I mean I liked how she seemed unsure most of the time, how she let me do my thing, and never tried to make this something it wasn't. We were friends, she was someone I could lean on, but that was it. Or at least that's what I kept trying to convince myself.

"Do your ribs hurt?" Rachel asked kissing my cheek and then looking me in the eyes. "You can…be on top." I rolled over her body and began kissing her again. She tried to put her hands on my hips but I pressed both her hands down on the bed. I don't know why I suddenly became so aggressive or why all of a sudden I pulled away. "What happened? Is there something wrong?" Rachel was looking at me with such desperation that I wanted to just continue on with this, with us, but I couldn't.

"Nothing…we should…um, let's just watch the movie." For once I had to think beyond the present. What I was doing with Rachel it wasn't smart, and I had to stop it before either one of us started feeling things that we shouldn't. I had to protect myself and more importantly, I had to protect her.

…

Quinn's POV

"You are overanalyzing this just like you overanalyze everything." Charlie chastised. I rolled my eyes for the fourth time today and continued driving. I wasn't at the point where I'd kick Charlie out of my car, but I was at the point of punching her in the shoulder, which I did.

"You didn't have to come with me. You're the one who decided to tag along…as usual, so stop complaining." I reminded her as I sped down _Vienna St._ I didn't care for the police force of Lima very much, not because I'd ever actually encountered them, but because of their cop cars, they were old fashioned and lame. That, I guess, was the reason why I didn't care if I was speeding, because I was confident that I could get out of a ticket, cops in Lima were scrubs.

"I'm only here to keep you calm." I raised an eyebrow at Charlie.

"And this is coming from the girl who almost punched Finn Hudson in the face. You're the one who's a total hothead." I assured Charlie who almost seemed offended by the accusation.

"You're a hothead when it comes to Santana-."

"So are you, and now I know why." I said with a scuff. I turned down Santana's street and rolled up both our windows. "It doesn't matter now I guess; we were just lying to ourselves anyway." I pulled into the Lopez driveway just behind Mrs. Lopez's car. I knew that Mr. Lopez was at work, and by the looks of it Santana was still at home because her car was still here. That was good, at least now we'd get some answers.

"Lying to ourselves?" Charlie questioned as I put the car in park. "About what?" I looked at Charlie, I couldn't believe she didn't know, and if she didn't know it was because she was refusing to see. She wasn't stupid, she had what most people like to call street smarts, but whatever people called it, Charlie had it.

"About Santana, about her dad…I can't count how many times I've seen little scars, bruises, and I just made myself brush it off. It didn't hit me until she was talking to me last night." I ran my hand through my hair and frowned. "Think about how stupid I feel now, she's my best friend and here I am just letting this happen to her."

"I'll kill him." Charlie said opening her door and barging towards the Lopez house like she really was going to murder someone. I jumped out of the car and jogged to catch up to her.

"Don't act crazy Charlie." I said grabbing her by the arm. "We're just here to get Santana and leave." I explained to her. "If you fly off the handle then this won't work, and I'll tell you to fuck off myself." I said trying to stay calm for the time being.

"Why? Why should we play nice with him?" Charlie questioned. Sometimes I wished she'd just focus all of her energy on a Political Science class that way her passion could be used somewhere besides picking fights.

"Because he has connections. We're here to help our friend and if we go in there pointing the finger at anyone then we lose the upper hand. So just stand there and put a smile on your face while I do the talking." Charlie crossed her arms over her chest and sulked while I rang the doorbell. Immediately a very worried looking Mrs. Lopez flung the door open. She was holding tissues in her hand and her eyes were dull and puffy.

"Girls, Quinn…Charlie, please come in." She stepped back and Charlie and I entered the house. We were ushered towards the kitchen where I noticed that the house phone was sitting on the table right next to a cup of tea. It seemed like Mrs. Lopez had been sitting in the same spot for a while. "I'd offer you both something but…gosh I'm a mess." She tied her hair up into a ponytail and Charlie and I watched her from a short distance. She was fidgety, nervous even, and even if I wanted to ask what was wrong I couldn't figure out how to without upsetting her even more.

"Where is Santana?" Charlie questioned without even a nudge in the side to let me know that she was going to speak.

"I-I thought she was at your house." Mrs. Lopez said before covering her mouth and holding back tears. "She left her phone here last night, she didn't even take her car, and I just assumed she'd go straight to your house." It was obvious that she was leaving something out, and Charlie glanced back towards the steps that lead upstairs. I watched her eyes before focusing on Mrs. Lopez again.

"Brittany's out of town, so she's not there." I said. When Charlie moved out of my peripheral vision and headed towards the steps I tried to stay calm. Charlie didn't believe what Mrs. Lopez said about Santana being gone, and frankly neither did I, but I didn't think Charlie would actually go check for herself. "Did she…fight with Mr. Lopez?" I asked.

"I don't know, I wasn't…they clash a lot." _I bet they do_, I thought to myself. Why the hell was she covering for him? Charlie was coming back down from upstairs, and by the sound of only one pair of shoes, I knew that Santana wasn't here just like Mrs. Lopez said. But Charlie was angry, by the situation and directly at Mrs. Lopez. She was staring the woman down, but I actually felt bad for her.

"Well where could she be? Her car is here and she doesn't have her cell phone. Mrs. Lopez, she could really be in danger." Charlie said. "We're going to look around the area, places she hangs at but by the end of the day we're calling the police-."

"Charlie stop." I didn't want her freaking out Mrs. Lopez.

"No." Charlie said coldly. "I'm just telling you Mrs. Lopez. No surprises, because you know what…I care about your daughter and so do you, so there's nothing new there."

"It's far too complicated for you girls to understand, you're still young, you've still got that same outlook that you've had on the world-."

"Don't judge us like that. Don't put us in that generic category. It's stereotyping and it's insulting. I'm more than just a cheerleader, Mrs. Lopez, and you know that. Charlie's clothes don't define her and you know that. We may have been blind to what was going on but that was because we tried to look for the best in your family for Santana's sake, but think twice if you think it was because we were stupid." I never knew that I could ever talk to an adult like that, so I probably looked just as shocked as Mrs. Lopez did right now.

Charlie's phone buzzed and she immediately checked the text she received. As soon as she saw it she showed it too me.

_It's San, left my phone at the rent's place. Don't worry I'm safe_.

It was from an unknown number, but I still felt a weight lifted off my shoulders. "Santana's just texted Charlie, she says she's safe…well show ourselves out." I didn't hesitate to walk towards the front door, and taking Charlie with me. We left the Lopez house quicker than we needed to but once we got into the car Charlie and I exchanged glances for a few moments.

"I feel bad for her." Charlie said suddenly.

"So do I, shitty situation no matter how you look at it." I said starting up my car. "So why didn't San say where she was?"

"Probably so she wouldn't get bombarded. She'll probably call later." Charlie said calming my nerves a bit. "Let's go to the store and grab some food, I'll even help you cook." It was a tempting offer and one that I was willing to accept.

"Alright, but only if we make spaghetti." Charlie nodded eagerly and I did a U-turn to head towards the supermarket which was about twenty minutes away. "So…you and Brittany?"

"So…you and Sam Evans?" Charlie responded.

"Touche." I muttered.

"Brittany told me that you're doing that same thing you did with Puck, trying to act like you don't even care about him. It's the Fabray move, playing hard to get."

"Okay so I sort of think he's cute, but you're right, I'll be damned if I go after him. I don't mind waiting for him to make a move." I said with a small smile. "He's such a dork though."

"You're totally into that." Charlie said with a small smile.

"Well at least I'm into someone with an actual brain." I replied.

"She just has a different way of thinking. It's her most attractive quality actually. One of many very attractive things about her." I rolled my eyes but actually, I thought it was kind of sweet in a weird way.

"So you two are like a thing now?" I asked.

"No, just…figuring things out." Charlie informed me as we arrived at the supermarket. "You know what…since you're the expert chef, I'll go get the food."

"Charlie why are you being so nice?" I asked.

"Cause you're my baby sis." She said with a cheeky grin.

"You're asking for a fight." I joked.

"That was the plan."

…

Charlie Fabray

I walked into the supermarket, grabbed a cart, and began my journey towards the vegetable stands. I knew we had plenty of herbs at home, so grabbing the green onions and garlic didn't take very long. I was on my way to get the noodles when I spotted a very short and very fidgety Rachel Berry trying to speed past me.

Our carts collided causing us both to look up in surprise. "Hi Rachel, tryin to kill me? Cart on cart collisions can be very dangerous." I joked. Rachel forced a smile and I could tell that she was in a rush and something, clearly very heavy, was weighing on her mind.

"Sorry, when I'm in my own world, I tend to bump into things." Rachel said pushing her hair back behind her ear.

"Where are your dads? Work I guess." I thought that the Berry family would be the type to go shopping with her fathers.

"Yeah I'm just grabbing some things for dinner, snacks for later too." I looked in her cart. Pretzels, _Nutella_, cake batter ice cream, and _Oreos_. There was something familiar about those snacks but I couldn't quite put my finger on it.

"Um…all that for you?" I questioned. She smiled and shook her head. I could see a very distinctive mark just below her ear. I recognized it because Brittany was sporting a similar mark on her neck.

"Oh no." I waited for her to continue but she didn't, things seemed to be getting really awkward very quickly.

"Is that a hickey, Rachel?" I asked boldly. Her cheeks flushed red and I smiled knowing that I was right. "Wow, who's the lucky guy? Wait, is that who's at your house right now?" I said with a laugh. "You naughty girl you. Having someone over while your dads are out."

"It's not…this is sort of different." Rachel assured me.

"Different?" I questioned. "Hey you don't have to be shy about it, not around me. I can't judge you…I mean I have pink hair."

"It's not a serious thing, not really I mean. We just like…sorry, I don't want to talk about this." Rachel said quietly.

"Oh I'm sorry, I didn't realize…" I looked at her cart again and frowned. I looked back up at her. "Santana's at your house?"

"I never said that-."

"You didn't have to." I replied quickly. "I know Santana's favorite snacks. Why didn't you just say so? I'm sure she's pissed that you have a guy over, but I'm just happy she's there and not walking around the streets." Rachel expression changed.

"I don't have a guy over; it's just Santana and I." The words she was speaking seemed like enough, but her eyes were telling me that there was much more. "I should hurry back, she's worn out and I just want her to relax." It hit me now that she knew about the abuse, and she was trying to cover it up. Before she could try and push her cart past me, I stopped her.

"Wait, I know." I told her. Maybe if she realized that I knew about the abuse she wouldn't be so worried.

"You know?" She questioned with a raised eyebrow. "It seemed to me that she didn't want anyone to know about what was going on between us." Now it was my turn to cock an eyebrow.

"Wait…what are you talking about?"

"What are you talking about?" Rachel questioned back, nervously.

"You and Santana are hooking up?" I asked with wide eyes. "Oh come on!" I said irritated by the thought. Why was Santana going for Rachel, when she seemed completely put off by the idea of liking me? To say that I was upset would be an understatement but I tried not to show it.

"Okay I should really be going." This time I let her get a few feet away before stopping her.

"Just tell her to call me later…I won't tell Quinn about whatever is going on, but just take care of her." I demanded.

"I will." She assured me.

"And…uh…make her some hot chocolate and put some _Nutella _on the spoon after you stir it. It's her absolute favorite thing in the world." For some reason I trusted Rachel, she looked like she genuinely cared, and she really wanted to make things right. If Santana went to her then that must mean she feels safe there, which was why I wasn't going to bombard her. She'd call me when she was ready, but until then I had to get home so I could cook with my sister.

**Does anyone watch Pretty Little Liars? Did you see that Paily kiss? Can you say wow. Review please and thank you. **


	29. Confrontation

Quinn's POV

Monday couldn't come soon enough. After Charlie told me that Santana was safe and not to worry, all I could do was worry. I just wanted to see her, wrap my arms around my best friend and never let go. I rushed into the school, disregarding all of my previous standards as the Queen Bee. I didn't care that boys were checking me out, I didn't want to put anyone in their place, I just wanted to see Santana and know, for myself, that she was alright.

I spotted Rachel, lingering in front of the math classroom. I thought about tackling her, but decided an aggressive approach would work just as well. "Hey dwarf, where's Santana?" She turned towards me, with tired eyes. I actually felt bad for a moment before I returned to my bitch glare.

"Hi to you too Quinn." Rachel said.

"Look I'm not here to trade niceties." I looked around at the crowded hallway and grabbed Rachel's arm, pulling her into the empty classroom. "I don't think you get the seriousness of the issue, but I _really_ need to talk to Santana, so stop with the games and tell me where she is." Rachel crossed her arms over her chest in a way that made me think that she was challenging me.

"I don't really know where she is, we arrived this morning at 7:45 and she said she wanted to go talk to a teacher. I let her go, but I think I _do_ in fact understand the seriousness of the situation." Every time I started to think that Rachel and I could be friends, she always ended up doing something to get under my skin.

"Did she talk to you about…what's going on at home?" I questioned quietly even though we were the only ones in the room. She didn't have to answer, I already saw the look in her eyes. Suddenly the door to the room opened and Rachel and I turned to see who it was.

My arms wrapped around Santana as soon as I saw her, I held onto her neck tightly. It took her a second to get past the surprise and she pulled me in closer to her, wrapping her arms around me. "San…San…" I realized that I was crying when Santana started shushing me into my ear and pulling back to wipe my cheeks. I finally got a chance to look at her, her cut near her hairline, a bruise near her eye.

She had both her hands on my cheeks and held them there while looking into my eyes. "Quinn everything is gonna be fine." I didn't want her to say that, I didn't want her trying to calm me down when it should be the other way around. "Come on; don't cry…you know I hate that." She wiped my eyes and tried to give me an encouraging smile.

"Am I just that stupid? I can't believe I didn't know about this-." She shut me up by wrapping her arms around me again. "So what do I do? Tell me what you need me to do so I can help you."

"You don't have to do anything Q-."

"The hell I don't. San…shit, let me help you, for once." It was me holding her face in my hands now, and I could not for the life of me, understand why Rachel was still standing there. I wanted her gone, now. "Berry do you fucking mind?" I snapped watching her retreat back under my stare.

"Rachel, can you give me a minute with Quinn?" Santana asked calmly. Rachel nodded and swung her backpack over her shoulder, and exited the room, but not without shooting me a warning glare. Santana and I both stepped back from each other, suddenly very aware of how emotional we both were right now. I could feel the back of my thighs against the teacher's desk, and I could see Santana playing with her thumbs, something she used to do when she was younger. Like a nervous habit.

"San…this is my fault…" She reached out and grabbed my arm, looking directly into my eyes.

"This is not your fault." She assured me. "I just…I let things get out of hand. Not with what's going on at home, that stuff escalated quickly, but I mean with you, with everyone. Lying was so easy at first, but caring about people makes things awful. I hated lying to you all…I fucking hated it." She turned away from me and placed her hands down on the desk. She was acting differently, like there was so much on her mind that she'd just break.

"Are you staying with Rachel? Why didn't you just come to our house?" I asked.

"Because my dad beat the shit outta me and I couldn't run that far." I focused on her eyes for fear that if I looked anywhere else then I'd start crying again. "I tried to get him to sign some papers, emancipation papers, you know? He wasn't having it…it's the only way I can get out of there, the only way I can finally get some fucking control in my life, but he knows that."

I never looked too deeply into the Lopez life. There was Santana and that was it. Her father threw occasional dinner parties, and her mother baked really good empanadas, but that was all. Maybe once or twice, Santana's sister would come home, but not for long, and she hasn't even been back in a few years. I never thought to examine them, how they interacted, or even to ask why Santana always wanted to get away. Looking back, I know I should have, but that doesn't change the fact that I didn't.

"We'll figure something out; just…stay at my place tonight. I've been worried sick about you all weekend." I said furrowing my eyebrows. Santana looked worried, like she couldn't just accept the offer. "You don't have to sleep over, just come over for a few hours…you can bring Rachel if you really want."

"I'll think about it Q." She said. "Did Charlie freak?"

"Of course, you know her." I said shrugging off the comment. "I'm worried about you…worried beyond belief. Seeing you hurt is the worst thing I think I've ever experienced." Santana placed her hands on my shoulders, massaging ever so gently. "Tonight let's just…act like we used to. Nutella, marshmallows, and Twix. I'll provide the snacks you just…show up."

"I can't resist that." Santana said with a nod.

I looked towards the door and I could see the top of Berry's head in the window. She didn't look like she was eavesdropping but rather talking to someone outside. I rolled my eyes and Santana poked me in the side. "You'd better start being nice to her."

"Maybe if you paid me or something." I joked.

"She's a total sweetheart, she shy sometimes, but that's just her. If you just listen to her, I guarantee you'll like her." I crossed my arms over my chest and smirked. Why was Santana putting in a good word for Berry? For whatever reason it was actually working. "Plus her dads are dope." She said with that half smile of hers.

"Fine, just for tonight I'll try and be a charming little angel." I glanced over towards the door seeing that Rachel was peering in and as soon as we made eye contact, she tried to look away. I walked over and opened the door, surprised to be met my Rachel and Sam. I didn't know what to do, so for a moment I just stood there starring, mostly at Sam I'll have to admit. It wasn't until Rachel looked over my shoulder at Santana that I actually snapped out of it.

"Hi Sam." I said with a smile. Rachel walked right under my shoulder to go over by Santana, but Sam stayed where he was in front of me.

"Hey Quinn how are you?" His smile was contagious, absolutely contagious.

"Wonderful…I mean great…um good I guess." Holy shit, I was fumbling with my words. I was a blubbering mess. I don't usually get nervous around guys, but this was a whole knew feeling. Sam smiled again as if he didn't actually care that I was acting like the biggest loser on the planet right now.

"I was actually wondering…" He let this light chuckle escape his lips and his cheeks darkened. "Okay I'll just go ahead and warn you that I'm a dork, like I'm wearing Star Wars boxers right now, so I can totally understand it if you don't want to…but I was wondering if you'd like to go out with me?" My mouth nearly hit the floor. Wait, was he asking me out? I completely lost the ability to form words, let alone sentences. Gosh why was he so damn cute?

"I-I…sure of course."

"Really?" He seemed more surprised that I said yes than I was about him asking me. "I'll pick you up at 8 Friday?" I nodded and he grinned. "Score!" He said with a fist pump. "I'll catch you later then." He waved to Rachel behind me and then looked at Santana with serious eyes. "Good luck on your test Santana, may the force be with you." I laughed and I could practically sense the fact that Santana was rolling her eyes behind me.

When Sam walked away, I turned on my heels and beamed. "Oh my god!" I exclaimed skipping over to Rachel and Santana. "Somebody fucking pinch me." I practically squealed. Santana groaned while Rachel reached her hand towards me. I smacked it away and looked at her for a moment of confusion before letting my excitement return. "Why is he so cute? I can't believe he asked me out."

"I can't believe you're literally standing here like you're surprised. Every-fucking-body knew that you two were going to get together. It doesn't exactly take a rocket scientist." Santana said. "Doesn't mean I'm not happy for you." I looked down acting like a bashful kid.

"Thanks." I said nudging her on the arm.

"He's a cutie." Santana said with a wink. "Maybe someone you can actually take home to the rents?"

"Well at this point Charlie will probably be taking Brittany home to the parents so my options are just about wide open." I said with a shrug. Rachel smiled and looked over at Santana. "Okay the tension in here is building so I'm gonna go…tonight remember San." I reminded her before I headed off towards my Spanish class.

I was able to catch up with Brittany and we entered the room side by side. "Hey B, how was your weekend?" I asked.

"It was good. Motocross was awesome, but I sort of missed seeing Charlie, was she like busy or something?" I sat down next to Brittany trying not to smile. I knew this wasn't just a fling, they actually liked on another. "I mean it's not a big deal if she was I just-."

"You like her? Aw." I said with a goofy grin. "You know…you should just come over tonight. I invited San and the dwarf too so we can all hang out."

"Sounds fun…but won't you like feel like the fifth wheel?"

"The fifth wheel?" I questioned arching an eyebrow.

"Yeah I mean because San and Rachel…oh…um never mind." I didn't have time to ask her what she meant because just then Mr. Shuester came in and started up class. I guess it didn't really matter, I was just excited for tonight.

Rachel's POV

"So Quinn actually invited me?" I asked shamelessly watching Santana getting dressed. She knew I was watching, but she didn't care. She pulled on one of my sweaters and laughed when it clung to her body like _Underarmor_. I laughed with her and went to my dresser to look for a larger sweater. I handed her a larger _Winnie the Pooh_ sweater, which she happily put on. "You look so cute." I beamed poking her in the stomach. She put her hair in a bun and pulled on the pants she was wearing Friday, which I washed for her. "So did she? Invite me I mean?"

"Slight prodding from me maybe, but she didn't put up much of a fight." I took a seat on my bed and put on my shoes. I felt like I would sort of be out of place, but at least Charlie would be there, she was always kind to me. It might be a little strange though. I mean Charlie did know that there was something going on between Santana and me, but I trust her with that, so I'm positive Quinn doesn't know.

"How late do you think we'll be over there?" I asked pulling on a jacket.

"Not late, 11 at the latest. You just let me know when you want to go, I mean I don't mind if you want to leave early." I frowned because I knew Santana's car was still at her house and so were most of her things. I planned to ask her if she wanted to go get some of her things and her car later, but right now, I just enjoyed the fact that she seemed happy. "What's wrong? That face right there…you don't look happy. We don't have to go; really it's up to you."

"I was just thinking about your car and your clothes…" She sat down beside me and sighed.

"Yeah…I've thought about that too, I'll just go get my car tomorrow, go in through the window or something and get my clothes, it's not a big deal." Santana said. I grabbed my keys and nodded, deciding not to ruin the mood by my worries. Santana took both my hands and pulled me up to my feet and we went downstairs to say goodbye to my fathers.

"So you guys are leaving now? Be careful with my car." My dad warned sternly before smiling. He tossed the keys to Santana who snatched them up out of the air and grinned.

"Oh I'm a pro." Santana said.

"I believe you. Just don't be home any later than 12, gosh I feel like we're sending Rachel off on her first date." My daddy said.

"Except I'll be sleeping over, don't think that's a normal thing that would happen on a first date." Santana replied. I tapped her shoulder indicating that we should leave and Santana waved goodbye before we headed outside to get into my dad's car. We both got in and Santana started up the car. "Your dads are so cool; I can't believe their letting me drive."

"I wish you could see yourself right now." I said as she backed out of my driveway. "You look like a kid at the circus." Santana didn't stop grinning she just reached over and held my hand. It seemed more intimate than usual. I mean kissing was one thing, it meant attraction and lust, but holding my hand meant something completely different.

She scrunched up her nose and laughed. "All my friends in one place, how can I not be a happy camper?" Santana parked on the street and we got out of the car. I was the one to ring the doorbell and Charlie opened the door rather quickly.

She embraced Santana just like Quinn had earlier, even lifting her off her feet. Santana pushed Charlie away from her and wrapped her arm around Charlie's neck, successfully putting her into a headlock. We walked inside like that, Charlie's hair a mess, and Santana in complete control of where she went. I giggled but tried not to laugh too hard because I could see Quinn from the kitchen talking to Brittany and filling bowls with snacks.

"You made it." Quinn said mostly to Santana but not without a little nod my way. "Parties downstairs COD4, I'll kick your ass Lopez." Santana let go of Charlie and grabbed a bowl of chips.

"You're so on Quinnie." Santana said as we all headed downstairs.

"Nice shirt." Charlie said genuinely before touching the fabric of Santana's sweater.

"It's actually Rachel's." Santana said smiling at me. "Hey remember when we used to call Quinn, Quinnie the Pooh all throughout 9th grade?" Brittany and Charlie laughed while Quinn scolded them. Quinn tossed Santana a controller to their XBOX and they started playing. I didn't know what to do so I just sat next to Santana on the couch while Brittany laid on her stomach and watched and Charlie was sitting with her back against my legs while eating some chips.

"This game is really violent." I whispered to Charlie who leaned back so she could look up at me.

"Yeah that's sort of the point." Charlie said shaking her head. "It's called a shooter game; Quinn and Santana are trying to kill each other."

"Not very different than in real life." Brittany said looking back at me.

"Boom! Head shot Fabray! Suck on that!" Santana said jumping up from where she was seated. I covered my mouth laughing at how into the game she was. Quinn threw her controller on the floor and ran her hands through her hair.

"Fucking rematch." Quinn said.

"Not a chance, my turn." Charlie handed the bowl of chips to me, picked up the discarded controller, and forced Quinn to move out of her seat. Quinn, now seat-less looked around for a moment before taking a seat on Santana's lap.

"Oh come the fuck on, what are you doin?" Santana said as Quinn leaned back and got comfortable, while Santana was trying to focus on the game. Santana had to wrap her arms around Quinn in order to use the controller properly, if I didn't know any better I'd say that Quinn was actually flirting with her.

Therefore, I was annoyed and jealous.

I looked over just to see Quinn whispering something in Santana's ear. Santana laughed and Quinn leaned further back and massaged Santana's head for a moment. I watched her then I watched her hand. I was probably glaring at this point. "Do you guys want anything to drink?" Brittany asked. Everyone replied with a yes, although Santana was so focused it was more of a grunt.

"I'll help you." I said getting up just as I saw Quinn whisper something else in Santana's ear. I followed Brittany upstairs and stood by the counter while Brittany reached up to get cups.

"Rachel, you don't have to be jealous." Brittany said out of the blue.

"Jealous? Jealous of what?" I asked.

"Quinn right now. If you want to sit on San's lap then just ask her, I'm sure she wouldn't mind." It was hard not to stand there with my mouth agape. How could Brittany even tell that I was jealous?

"I have no idea where you got that idea." I said defensively. Brittany shrugged and went into the Fabray refrigerator to pull out some soda and a beer for Charlie.

"Let me tell you something that no one else knows." Brittany stopped pouring the soda in a cup and looked at me. "Santana was my first…I-I was her first. We share that bond that moment together…I'm not with her anymore, I enjoy being her friend, but that doesn't mean I don't know how amazing she can make a person feel."

"Were you afraid…nervous I mean, when it happened?" I asked tentatively.

"Of course, I mean who wouldn't be? But the way she looks at you, you just know that you're safe. You don't find that in other people. She cares about you, but she's going to continue to push you away…I can just see her fighting it all off." Brittany handed me a cup and then another. "But you like her right? Because if you don't, then don't lead her on."

"I like her…a lot." I said. "But it's the other way around. I feel like she might be just in this for the fun of it all. We don't talk about feelings and I have a lot of them."

"For you I bet she'd be willing to change that." Brittany said with a smile. "I just…" Brittany started laughing. I was confused as to what she found funny until she continued. "Santana got annoyed with me for picking her up and kissing her, now with you I'll bet it's the other way around." I blushed remembering the dinner party and how that was exactly what Santana did.

"She's um…touchy." I said trying not to laugh.

"Yeah let's got with _touchy_." Brittany said giggling along with me. "Are you sleeping over here?"

"That wasn't the original plan."

"So she's staying at your place? That's cute, and she's even wearing your Winnie the Pooh sweatshirt, she's so whipped." Brittany opened Charlie's beer and tossed the bottle cap in the trashcan before we headed back downstairs.

"Jeez what took you guys so long?" Quinn asked. She was still sitting on Santana's lap but now she was playing the game against Charlie. I handed a cup of soda to Santana and sat back down on the couch.

"Hey Britt, you wanna take over for me?" Brittany happily took Charlie's seat while Santana slid from under Quinn and stood up as well.

"We'll be right back." I was going to ask them where they were going but they'd already made it up the steps before I could ask.

"A.k.a. they're going to smoke pot." Quinn informed me as she switched weapons in the game. "They're such boys sometimes. Like the deadbeat brother type." I didn't actually mind that Santana was out smoking. I know it used to bother me, but now I understand that it was just part of her, part of her relationship with Charlie.

"B, why didn't you stop them? They'd listen if you said something." Quinn said.

"I'm too busy trying to kick your ass Q." I laughed at Brittany's use of a curse word. I'd never thought she'd curse.

"You see how she treats me." Quinn joked giving me a smile. "Check you out Berry, why aren't you wearing an owl sweater? Did you and Santana switch personalities for the day?" I looked down at my black skinny jeans and long sleeve v-neck.

"It was sort of cold so I just decided on something warmer." I replied.

"It looks cute." She said in a way that almost made me afraid to accept the compliment. Like she had a hidden motive. "You're actually not the worst person on the planet. I don't _completely_ regret inviting you."

"Thanks?" I said.

"It's the closest you're going to get to a compliment." Brittany informed me. "I would just take it."

"Then I'll take it." I watched them play for a few moments before looking down at the controller.

"Here." Quinn said handing me the controller. "I can teach you."

…

Santana's POV

"Where'd you get this stuff?" I asked Charlie as I took a long drag. I looked at the blunt for a second before handing it over to Charlie and exhaling.

"Wilson has a guy." Charlie said simply.

"You're in deep, huh?" I didn't know if Wilson was into dealing, but I just hoped that Charlie wouldn't get into stuff like that, she'd end up hurt. I suspected that something already did happen but she wasn't going to tell me anytime soon.

"That's what she said." Charlie said diverting the conversation.

"Cute joke." I said taking another drag.

"So what's your deal with Rachel?" Charlie asked leaning back against the side of her house. I examined her for a second.

"Tha fuck does that mean?" I asked.

"It means what you want it to mean." Charlie said. "Don't fuck around with girls it's not a good idea."

"Who said I'm fucking around? Anyway, what's it to you?" I questioned.

"Don't hurt that girl San-." I grabbed Charlie's collar and shoved her away.

"Fuck off Charlie seriously." I said. "I like her, that's all you need to know." I said. I was about to go back inside when Charlie's laughter stopped me. "What's so fucking funny?"

"I was testing you moron." Charlie said continuing to laugh. "Just to make sure you really liked her, and clearly you do." I could've smacked Charlie for screwing around with my feelings like that. "Let's go inside." Charlie said letting me have the last drag of the blunt before she stomped it out and wrapped her arm around my shoulder.

When we went downstairs Rachel was playing COD against Brittany and from the looks of it, she wasn't doing that awful. Charlie took a seat on the ground, but I told Rachel to stand up. She did so tentatively. I stole her seat just so I could see her frown and pout. "Oh come on." I said wrapping my arm around her stomach and pulling her on top of me. She squealed causing Brittany to laugh and me to grin as she tried to continue playing the game.

"Quinn take over for me, I have to go to the bathroom." Rachel said after about five minutes. Quinn happily took the controller and I watched Rachel go. I bit my lip contemplating my next move before standing up and following Rachel. I waited in the kitchen for her to come out of the bathroom.

When she saw me waiting there she smiled and walked over towards me. "What are you doing up here?" She asked resting her hands on my hips.

"Nothin." I said innocently.

"Oh really?" She asked. I tilted my head and she followed suit, standing up on her tiptoes.

"Yeah…really." I pressed our lips together. Our tongues collided and I bit down on her bottom lip. "I've been waiting to do that all night."

"I was waiting too."

**Review.**


	30. Love Rush

**Get prepared for this one.**

Santana's POV

I lay back on the bench, starring up at the sky. I wasn't much for admiring nature, but it seemed to come naturally now. I only had a few minutes before Glee Club, before I had to walk into that room and plaster on a smile so everyone would think I was okay. Thank God for my support system, thank God for Quinn, Charlie, Brittany, and Rachel. Well maybe not God, maybe I should be thanking someone else.

I needed everything to be right, to be alright. For once in my life I just wanted everything to work out, and not even for selfish reasons. Sometimes I'd find myself staring at Rachel, watching her as she smiled from across the room. I could watch her sleep, brush the hair out of her face, and kiss her forehead, and that was all okay.

I hated the situation we were in, the circumstances that we'd fallen under. What if everything was different? If she was just an average girl, and I was the same, would we make it here or not? Should I be happy that I have a fucked up family? Because if I didn't I never would have crossed paths with Rachel.

I checked my watch. Three minutes.

I got off the bench, grabbed my backpack and began walking towards the choir room. Thankfully, I dodged the group of jocks that Finn Hudson was walking with because I knew for a fact he'd probably stop me to have a conversation and I was not up for that. I turned into the room to find all of the Glee girls plus Artie waiting around and talking. "Hey Santana, were are the boys at? Not that I mind being surrounded by ladies." Artie said with a wink.

"I saw Hudson but that's about it, there probably doing some stupid football thing, I bet they'll be here soon." I said before taking a seat next to Rachel. "Hi." I said with a smile.

"Hi yourself. Where were you? I snuck some donuts out of the teacher's lounge for you." My eyes widened and my mouth stood agape.

"You stole for me? Oh where are they? Gimme, gimme, gimme." I said bouncing up and down in my seat. Rachel giggled and grabbed my arm to keep me from bouncing out of my seat.

"I'll give them too you later." She promised. I pouted but turned my attention to the door when Finn, Puck, Mike, and Sam decided to make their appearance.

"Thank God, I was out numbered." Artie said wheeling over and high giving Mike.

"Personally I thought you guys ditched, because I mean let's get real here, we're gonna kick your ass." Quinn said looking right at her nails the whole time.

"Is that so?" Sam asked with a small smile.

"That is so." I smirked. "Oh I've never been more excited to stomp all over someone than I am now." I said tapping my fingers against the fabric of my skinny jeans. Cheerios uniforms were fine, but I preferred busting a move in my street clothes.

"You look so happy." Rachel whispered resting her hand on my knee.

"Truthfully…I've never been happier than I am right now, in this moment." I said wrapping my arm around her shoulder.

"Where's Shue?" Mercedes asked looking up at the clock.

"Who knows." I said with a shrug. Just then Mr. Shuester came running into the room with Ms. Pillsbury at his side. "Whoa he brought reinforcements." I said getting a laugh out of most of the group.

"Santana." Mr. Shuester said with a look that silenced the whole group.

"Sorry, it was only a joke-."

"Santana we're going to take you down to the hospital." Ms. Pillsbury said picking up my backpack and holding it for me. I starred at them before standing up.

"W-what happened?" I questioned.

"We should go now, we'll explain on the way." Mr. Shuester said. I didn't know if I should stop to say something, but my instincts told me to just follow them. It was a dead sprint to Mr. Shuester's car. I got in the back, no questions asked. I was terrified but beyond that I couldn't think.

…

I was familiar enough with the hospital to know who to run to. Who to approach, but it wasn't a nurse that awaited me, it was Mr. Berry. "What's going on?" I asked him.

"We need you to wait out here-."

"No, fuck that. No one's told me shit." I tried to push past him, but he wrapped his around me holding me there until I finally calmed down. "Who is it? Is it my mom?"

"No, it's your grandmother." I started breathing harder than I should have, but I managed to not go apeshit and run through the hospital. "She didn't make it, I'm sorry you couldn't have been here sooner." I just starred. Like I was missing something. Something from the story. It wasn't right I should've spent more time with her. More time here. I let my dad keep me away from her, for most of my life, and now…she's gone.

I looked back at Mr. Shuester and Ms. Pillsbury, they looked supportive but they didn't understand. I don't know why but I hugged Mr. Berry. Maybe it was because he was just there. Someone I knew I could hold onto, and they wouldn't care if I never let go. Maybe it was because Mr. Berry was the dad that I always wanted, the father I always needed. He hugged me back, tentatively at first, but then he held onto me tightly.

I pulled back, ran my fingers through my hair, took a step back and then one forward. What do I do now? "Your mother is in a private waiting room, if you'd like to see her." Mr. Berry said. "Thank you both for bringing her, but I can take her home." Mr. Shuester gave me a loving squeeze of my shoulder, Ms. Pillsbury only gave me a sympathetic look, but that was due to her OCD. They left and Mr. Berry lead me to the private waiting room.

I opened the door slowly, not really know what to expect from my mother. She'd never really been close to her mother, which only made me think about us. What if it was me in her shoes, and she'd just died, what would I do?

"Mom." Her arms were around me in a second. Holding onto me as if she was keeping me from running away. She was sobbing, but I didn't know if it was because of grandma or because of me. "I'm sorry." I didn't know what I was sorry for but I was sorry.

"Don't say that mija." She kept my face in her hands looking at me until I looked away. "Where have you been?" She questioned. I looked back at Mr. Berry, who was still standing there in the doorway. It only struck me now that he knew that I was being abused, but he didn't actually know by who. He was standing there to protect me and I was grateful.

"Around, where's dad?" I was getting nervous now. It wasn't like he didn't work here.

"He's coming; he was in the middle of surgery when…" She looked down at the ground. I was about to walk away, to run out of the damn hospital at that moment. "Don't go, if you don't want to see him then you don't have to."

"You deserve to have someone here for you, it's not gonna be me." It was cold the way I was speaking. We'd both just lost someone we cared for, but I couldn't give in, because giving in would mean that I was okay with how she acted, how she never once protected me, and I wasn't okay with that. "Just don't worry about me mom because I'm gone, I'm so gone and I'm happy to be getting the hell away from-." The door opened and my father walked in. He was wearing scrubs; he must have just gotten out of surgery. The look of shock on his face when he saw me standing there made me want to puke.

He rushed over to hug my mother, whispering comforting words into her ear, to assure her that everything would be okay. I watched, from a distance, I watched him demonstrate more love in that moment then he'd ever shown me. "You two should get home." My father said. My mother grabbed her purse and started to wrap her arms around my shoulder, like she was really going to take me home, like I'd ever give in that easily. I smacked her hand away from me and glared at my father.

"I don't think so." I told him. I could see it in his eyes, he was beyond pissed, but he couldn't hit me, not here, not in front of Mr. Berry.

"You know Santana, you've done a lot of stupid things, that stunt you pulled last week with those papers may have topped them all, but your best option now is to just listen to me and go home."

"Home? What a fucking joke." He covered enough ground in less than two seconds to reach me. I thought he was going to hit me, Mr. Berry thought he was going to hit me, but then he just hugged me. Hugged me tight enough that it was impossible for me to pull away.

"You think you can fuck with me? I own you. I looked into it, that scam, _emancipation_, you've got to have enough money to support yourself for a year otherwise they'll put you in foster care, I'd like to see you make it then. You've only got one option now and that's to go home with your mother." He let me go; smiling as he did so like we'd just gotten home from Disney World.

The anger was building inside me. Building so fast that I thought I was going to lose it. "So I'll be home at around 11 tonight."

"Maybe I'll see you some other time." I said looking right into his eyes. "Bye mom." I said certain that this would not be the last time I'd see her. "Bye Dr. Lopez." I said hoping that this would be the last time I'd see him.

…

Charlie's POV

"It happens once in a blue moon. Or something like that, that's just a phrase right? I think I might overuse it." Rachel laughed and took another sip of her tea. We sat side by side on the comfy swing she had on her porch. It was far too cold to be outside like this, but I enjoyed the leaves rustling, the chimes ringing, it all seemed rather beautiful tonight.

"Are you sure you don't want to come inside?" She asked for the third time tonight. I suspected that she didn't want us to be out here when Santana came back. Maybe it would seem like we were ambushing her, maybe we were. I was here to make sure she was alright I just had to be sure.

"I'm not really the type of girl anyone brings into their house." I joked. Rachel nudged me and laughed. "I won't be here long, just to make sure she's okay and then I'm out of here." I leaned back and kicked the heels of my shoes against the ground, making the swing move just a little.

"I don't mind, you can stay as long as you want." Rachel said.

"You know I grew up in a Christian household, plenty of people always around, smiling happy…but…you're one of the kindest people I've ever met. From what you tell me about your fathers, they taught you right. I mean look at you and then look at me. We could be on one of those cheesy specials where they tell people how not to parent their kids. I'd be a great example."

"You're so hard on yourself." Rachel said resting her hand on my shoulder.

"Comes with the territory." I said with a shrug. "I was always Quinn's sister, I'm no Quinn."

"That doesn't mean anything, or it shouldn't. You're twins but you can be your own people. That's what makes you each special." I wanted to hug Rachel, but I was actually afraid that I might crush her. It was getting dark; Hiram Berry told us that Leroy and Santana would be back in about half an hour, I just hoped that we wouldn't freeze before then. "I'm happy for you though, being with Brittany and everything. You guys make a cute couple."

"You and San are pretty cute yourselves." I replied.

"You like her a lot?" Rachel asked.

"Yeah of course." I said with a smile. "You like San a lot?" I set her cup of tea on the railing next to her. She brought her knees up to her chest and sat there pondering for a while. "You do don't you?"

"Of course." She said furrowing her eyebrows. "But I think…I think I might love her." I stood up, immediately, the amount of confusion I was feeling was not something I was used to. Pacing didn't help right now, but I did it anyway just to keep from having a panic attack.

"Love? It's a little early for that, right? I mean _love_, that's crazy." Rachel stayed in that position, looking completely unsure of herself.

"Have you told her? That you love her I mean?" I questioned.

"How can I? With everything that's been going on with her I can't just randomly say 'oh your grandmother just passed away by the way I love you'. It just doesn't happen like that." Rachel said running her hand through her hair. "I just want a moment, the perfect moment, you know? Is that too much to ask?" Rachel questioned rhetorically.

"Maybe…a moment? You never know when that'll happen. Don't you just want to tell her?" I asked.

"Of course I do, but shouldn't it be special?" She questioned.

"You live in a dream world, like fairytale land." I said with a light chuckle. "But in case you haven't noticed, this isn't exactly a fairytale. Santana's not going to be your Prince Charming, she's already broken enough." Rachel's phone started buzzing and she reached into her pocket to retrieve it. She showed me the caller I.D. It was her father calling, so they must be on their way home.

"Dad…oh hi Santana…" She looked up at me and frowned. "The papers? You want me to get them?" She was already on her feet and heading inside. I didn't know what to do so I followed her upstairs to her room. She grabbed an envelope off her nightstand and gave me a wave of her hand telling me to come back downstairs. "Are you okay? We have tea if you need it…who's we?" She looked over at me. "Charlie's here…I can tell her…okay, see you in a few minutes."

"Tell me what?" I asked as she ended the call.

"That she needs you to take her to her house." Rachel said quietly.

"What?!"

"She said her dad won't be there and she needs to talk to her mom, so just do it okay." I'd never heard Rachel so angry. She was worried and biting her nails, starring at her driveway like the harder she starred the quicker Santana would arrive.

"You don't like this." It was more of a statement then a question.

"Of course not, but she's had a rough day, and if she wants to talk to her mom then who am I to stop her?"

…

"Why are you so quiet?" I asked as we drove silently through the night air. Santana had been looking out the window, with that envelope pressed to her chest, and an empty expression on her face.

"My grandmother just died; can you let me have a moment?" It wasn't harsh, not like I was expecting, but it was cold and scared and so not Santana.

"No I can't give you a moment, because I'm driving you back _home_. Why are you going there?" I asked but she didn't answer. "This is really fucked up-."

"I'm getting my stuff okay Charlie." She retorted angrily.

"Okay…fine."

"Ugh I thought people were supposed to be sad after someone dies. Why do I feel like this?!" She shouted slamming her palm down on my dashboard.

"How do you feel?" I asked tentatively.

"Angry." She started. "I'm so angry about everything. I've been so angry, and seeing my dad and my mom there I just-…fuck it. I wanted to kill someone, It's like everything that I've been through and he gets to just stand there like the fucker that he is, and the only thing that could possibly stop me from ripping his throat out is-."

"Rachel." I finished for her.

"Yeah…Rachel." She said defeated. Like she'd been fighting off her feelings for such a long time.

"Didn't you ever notice her before? I mean McKinley is a big school, yeah, but…I mean you must have noticed her before." I said.

"Maybe…probably."

"So your mom's going to be in there, right? What are you gonna say to her?" I asked pulling into Santana's driveway, next to her car. She looked over at me and I kept my keys in the ignition.

"I don't know, hopefully nothing." She said opening the car door, but not getting out. I looked at her and then she looked back giving me a half smile. She got out of the car, and she was only a few feet away when I leaned my head out of the car window.

"You're running away aren't you?" I asked. She stopped and turned to face me.

"Go home Charlie." I took that as a yes.

…

Santana's POV

The front door was open, that was unusual, but I just walked in and found my mom at the kitchen table looking at old photographs. She heard me come in but she didn't move. I walked into the kitchen, still clutching onto the envelope. "I thought that you weren't coming back home." She said. I pulled the papers out of the envelope and dropped the papers on the table in front of her.

"Sign them." I demanded.

"Mija I can't-."

"Don't stand there and try to hold onto me a second later. Don't call me mija, don't love me. Please." I closed my eyes and tried to hold back my tears. "Don't choose this moment to be my mother."

"I can't let you go."

"You already have." I snapped back angrily. "You let me go the moment I was born. You already knew how he was; what he was. Olivia was young then, you should've packed your bags and ran, taking us with you. Olivia wants nothing to do with us, I haven't seen my sister in year because of this bullshit. You already knew my life was going to be hell, so why'd you even have me? You should've just gotten an abortion."

"Never, I never even thought to do such a thing." She said standing up and grabbing me by the shirt.

"Just sign the papers so I can get out of here." I demanded. I handed her a pen, she took it, but didn't move.

"So that's it? I'm not longer your mother?" She questioned with tears in her eyes.

"I've been on my own since I was like 12, let's just make it official."

"Where are you going to go Santana?" She asked. I laughed, bitterly, and looked down at the paper. "I'm not going to let you live on the streets-."

"It doesn't matter where, I have a plan so just leave it at that and sign the papers. I can't be here when he gets back." I was getting fidgety and it was late. Nearly 10:30. He said he'd be back home at 11.

"What happens when he finds out that I signed them?"

"He doesn't care about the papers, or signing them. He just wants me to be miserable. If he finds out you signed them then he'll think I'm living on the streets. I haven't asked you for anything, I didn't ask you to protect me, and I never asked you to help me…not until now." She pressed the pen to the line and signed it, quickly, swiftly, without even hesitating. She handed them to me; I muttered out thanks and ran upstairs to my room.

I grabbed a duffle bag and cleared my closet. I grabbed warm clothes, threw on a jacket, and grabbed my car keys and phone. I went into my footlocker, reached to the bottom, and pulled out a wad of cash. Olivia wired the money to me a few days ago. I owed her one.

My mother was standing in the doorway, watching as I fumbled with the zipper of the duffle bag. I finally got it together, lifted it over my shoulder, and went into the shoebox in my closet. Pulling out my _Canon _camera, and stuffing it into my bag as well. "That used to be your passion." She said nodding at the camera.

"It still is." I said simply. "Look…you have my number, emergencies only though." She nodded and let me walk past her.

"Te amo amor." She shouted after me as I rushed downstairs. I didn't respond, she knew I loved her too, I didn't have to say it.

…

I drove for a few miles, I thought I could at least make it to Pennsylvania by midnight, and I could find a motel to stay in. I could've just driven away, I should have, but I found myself making a U-turn and heading towards Rachel's house. I didn't pull into the driveway, I parked on the street. I saw that the porch light was still on; Rachel was still out there, waiting for me.

I walked over to the railing tapping my fingers lightly against them. I did this on purpose, I needed to keep a barrier between us, because otherwise I'd just give in to her. She stood in front of me, taller than I was because she was standing on the porch and I was standing on the path that lead to the steps and her front door.

"I was going to drive away, just drive off into the distance without telling anyone."

"You were going to leave without saying anything to me?"

"It beats having to see the look on your face right now." I said. "I never knew what love was until I met you. I had friends; that was all I had. My parents don't love me, they never have. I was just regret to them, a mistake. But now I get it, I understand love for once because it's what I feel for you…but I have to leave-."

"You can't, you can't just tell me you love me and then leave."

"Rachel, I'm leaving because I love you."

"How could you? How could you spend this whole time loving me and waiting until now to tell me? Why tell me if you're just going to leave me?"

"I don't have a choice." I looked back at my car. "I'm a coward, I know that, but the least I could do is keep you safe."

"What about you? Where are you gonna go?"

"I don't know…my sister's place maybe…a shelter, who cares really? I just know I'll hate being away from you." She didn't respond she just kept her arms crossed over her chest and her eyes low. "I wish we could run away together. I wish we could just have some cheesy happy ending, but we can't."

"This isn't fair." She said with tears in her eyes. I touched my hand to my neck, feeling the necklace that I'd worn since the day that I literally died. My grandmother had gotten it for me, sent it over in the mail because she couldn't stand to be around my father. I took it off; I held it in my hand for a second, thinking about how I used to think the thin necklace was supposed to protect me. Truthfully, it did a really shitty job at that, but that wasn't the point.

It meant something to me, so that was why I pushed Rachel's hair out of the way and put the necklace on her. Maybe the necklace didn't protect me, but maybe it'd protect Rachel. "This was your grandmother's, I can't-."

"Take it." I said forcefully. "I love you." I whispered in her ear before kissing her sweetly on the lips. I took a step back, and then I stepped up on the ledge, now we were at eye level. "Goodbye Rachel." I kissed her, this time more passionately, regretting pulling away. I regretted that with all my being. I hopped off the ledge and started walking backwards towards my car. Keeping my eyes on her the whole time. I blew her a kiss and turned around.

**This chapter may have actually been the hardest to write, it was sort of intense. Anyway, thoughts on where to go next? I have a solid idea, but maybe someone could change my mind. Leave a review and maybe your idea will be in the next chapter. **


	31. She Isn't Coming Back

**You know what you guys should do? Follow me on tumblr and maybe I'll start taking story suggestions and everything. Plus, I'd like to know people who have been following my stories. So here's my url: ** blog/tryflashback **and you should follow me. **

**Here you go; this one picks up right where the last left off.**

Quinn's POV

"What do you mean she ran away?" I snapped grabbing Charlie by the collar of her shirt. She'd only gotten home a few minutes ago, but I'd been on her since then. She was acting quiet, and scared, and it pissed me off that she was trying to keep information about my best friend from me. "Charlie look at me."

"I told you already, I dropped her off at her mom's place, and I asked her if she was running away. She didn't answer so…that's as good as saying yes." Charlie walked over and sat down on my bed. My eyes were wide, almost frantic.

"So let's go, we have to go find her-." Charlie jumped up and grabbed me before I could rush out of the room.

"And do what? Try to convince her that she has a better life here? We both know that's not true." I pressed my hand to my cheek, before shaking my head.

"No, maybe not but…she wouldn't just leave, not without saying goodbye." Charlie shook her head, just like nothing, like a moron. This couldn't be happening. "So she said bye to you?"

"No…not exactly but-."

"But nothing, if she didn't say goodbye then that means she's coming back." I shouted. I grabbed my cell phone and started dialing her number. "I'm gonna call her." I said, Charlie snatched my phone out of my hand.

"She's not going to answer." Charlie assured me. "And if she's driving you shouldn't call, it could distract her." I wondered when Charlie because so conscious about these things. A few weeks ago, this senior died because he was on his phone while driving, I'd die if I caused Santana any harm.

"We should trust her right?" I asked Charlie who didn't look sure in any way shape or form.

"Her grandmother just died today, I don't know if she's thinking straight, but she seemed like she might have a plan." I fell back on my bed and covered my face with both hands.

"Nope, I can't do this…I can't." I said shaking my head.

"Look it's one in the morning, mom and dad will wake up if they hear us." Charlie said patting my bed. "Let's go to bed."

"You want me to sleep right now? As fucking if that's gonna happen." I said keeping my hands over my face. "Dammit…I give up. I quit."

"You quit what?" Charlie questioned.

"Everything, life…what do I care?" My words were muffled by my hands until Charlie walked over and pulled them away form my face. "What?"

"San may not be here to punch you for talking like a crazy person, but I am." She told me. "When San gets where she'd going, she'll call, and you know that."

"I'm just worried about everything. Not just San…but you." I looked up at her and she frowned.

"Me? But why?" She asked standing there with her arms at her side.

"About _that night_. When you came home…there was blood on your hand and…" Charlie moved over and sat down close to me. "Tell me now. I don't care what you say, you could sit here and fucking lie to me, but just tell me what happened."

"I didn't kill anyone Luce." That was all she said before standing up and walking over to turn off my lights. "Goodnight, try not to worry too much about her. She'll call."

…

Santana's POV

The motel that I stayed at last night was shit. Beyond shit actually. Some businessman rented out the room next to me, he was the type that paid by the hour, which didn't surprise me one bit. I was more than happy to get the hell out of there and get on the road. I've been driving for the past 6 hours straight, I stopped for gas and food once, but I just wanted to arrive as quick as possible.

I'd probably get there in about three minutes. Hopefully there was a spot on the street that I could find, if not I could just find a park garage nearby, this was New York I could basically find anything.

My sister was going to be pissed. Beyond pissed really, but she was all I had, and if she didn't take me in then no one would.

I found a spot on the street, right in front of her apartment building, I was thankful for that because my duffle bag was a little heavier than I wanted it to be. I parked and went into the back seat to grab my bag. I locked my doors and ran up behind a man who'd just been buzzed up. "Hey can I tag along with you?" I asked. He eyed me suspiciously for a moment, knowing full well that letting strangers in apartment building didn't usually end well, but he shrugged and held open the door for me.

I was happy that Olivia had sent me things from her apartment building a few times, so I actually knew that she was in apartment 316. I took the elevator up and found her door without much trouble. It was past 8 o'clock, so that meant she wasn't in a class, but I didn't know if she'd gone out with friends or something.

I wouldn't know if I didn't try so I just knocked on a whim. I heard shuffling, which was good but then there was a pause, I assumed she was looking through the peephole. The door swung opened and we both stood there startled or shocked, I wasn't exactly sure. "Dios mio." She said before wrapping her arms around me. "Come in, come in." She grabbed my duffle bag for me and ushered me over to her couch, while she placed my bag in, what I was assuming was, a spare room.

She was rushing to get us some water and I just chuckled under my breath. "Hey Olive come on, you don't have to be a perfect hostess. It's me." She laughed and handed me a glass of water before sitting on the couch next to me. She looked at me for a second; probably spotting the bruises, but she just smiled and put her hand on my shoulder.

"Sorry." She said before patting my cheek lightly.

"Don't be sorry." I said quietly. "You wanna know what happened?" I asked her nudging her shoulder.

"You don't have to say." She assured me.

"I'm out…I'm out for good. I'll only stay for a few days-."

"Don't be stubborn that's my job, you can stay for as long as you want, I've got room." She touched the scar above my eyebrow. "Fuck him." I looked down at my hands and frowned. "It's as much my fault as it is moms. I just…I thought I had to get out of there as soon as possible. I didn't think it through, I wasn't thinking about you-."

"Don't blame yourself. For 12 years you got the worst of it…can we not talk about this?" I shifted on the couch and looked around her apartment. She had plenty of vintage items; I even caught a glimpse of a typewriter on her desk. The island from the kitchen separated the living space from the eating space, but down the hallway, there was a bathroom, and two bedrooms. "I'm impressed by your place, how'd you manage it?"

"Well I wrote a piece a few months ago in class, the professor liked it and they put it in a few magazines. Word got around I guess because a while ago, I got a call from the New Yorker." She was smiling now. I knew journalism was her passion so I was happy for her.

"Wow way to go rock star." I was genuinely happy for her. She'd really made something of herself in only a few years. "What about…what's his name? Suave Tony? He still around?" I questioned. She rolled her eyes and leaned back on the couch.

"I'm gonna need something to drink for this convo." She stood up and went back to her kitchen. She grabbed two glasses and a bottle of wine. She poured more in her glass than in mine, but I still had a fair amount. She handed me a glass and held hers in her hand as she returned to her seat. "Don't tell mom I let you drink this."

"You still talk to her?" I questioned as I took a sip of the wine.

"Yeah, occasionally…I check up." She said with a shrug. "So anyway Tony…oh my god, you wanna talk about reading people wrong, this is the prime example. Like I screwed up big time. I mean he was hot, we met at a club, but shit, he was a tool. Like one of those cocky assholes. I can't believe I slept with him."

"You sure know how to pick 'em…remember Cory Nickels? God that guy used to come over and steal my Twizzlers, I hated him." I said drinking some more of the wine.

"You hated all my boyfriends." She said rolling her eyes. "And I didn't get to hate any of yours because you never had any. I don't get it, we look just alike, and therefore you're stunning." I just shrugged and looked down towards my shoes. "Probably wasn't worth the drama of getting boys approved by dad."

"It's always better just to have friends." I informed her.

"You know how to pick some friends. The Fabrays are chill and Britt, love that girl. Do they know you're here?"

"Uh…no, couldn't risk it." I told her.

"Risk what?" I downed the rest of the wine and put the glass down on the coffee table. "Rick what?" She repeated.

"I've got papers…emancipation papers-."

"What? Emancipation?" Olivia questioned.

"Mom signed them, maybe I forced her into it, I don't know." I shrugged brought my legs up to my chest. "So it's official I'm on my own now."

"You're not, you got me." She put her hair up in a bun and smiled at me. "How long did it take you to get here?"

"I stopped in PA for a few hours to sleep, so I dunno…8 hours." I stood up, stretched my arms, and shook out my legs. "Longest drive in ever." I scratched my head and fell back onto the couch.

"So mom called me yesterday…about abuela."

"Yeah, you knew her more than I ever did, but…it was her time you know. Peaceful from what I hear." I looked over to see how she would react. I didn't want her to cry, but she was stronger than me, she'd been through worse. "I'm tired."

"Okay…yeah you can go to bed. I've got towels in the hallway, extra pajamas if you didn't bring enough." We stood together and went to the bedroom where my duffle bag was. "What do you have in that bag, it was heavy as fuck." She said walking over and unzipping the bag.

"Clothes…lots, and I guess my camera too." I said reaching in and grabbing it. I turned it on and pointed the lens at Olivia. "Smile Olives." She covered the lens with her hand. "Oh come on loser, just one!" She covered her face and started grabbing shirts out of my duffle bag to throw at me.

"I'm a mess. Don't take a picture, Tana, I'm gonna punch you if you do." I started snapping pictures regardless of her threats. "Tan, come on." She snatched the camera out of my hands and took a picture of me. "You look like a dweeb."

"I am a dweeb." I said putting up my Star Trek Vulcan salute. She snapped a picture and laughed. "Hey gimme it back." I grabbed the camera and snapped a few shots of her bouncing on the bed. "Flawless."

"I was thinking America's Next Top Model if the whole writing things didn't work out." She joked.

"You'd have made it; I mean you look just like me." I said taking a picture of my shoe.

"You mean you look like me." She corrected. "Hey look, tomorrow I've got glass at 8, you can grab whatever you want out the fridge. I'll be back at like 11 and we can go grab coffee, talk some more maybe." I nodded my head and took a picture of her while she was talking. "I suggest going online and skyping with a friend-."

"I can't, I don't want them to know where I am." She starred at me for a second before nodding. "I…there's more to the story then I-."

"You don't have to explain, not right now. Just rest." She said before she pulled me into a hug. "I missed you baby sis."

"I missed you too Olive."

…

Rachel's POV

I hadn't moved in three days. Three solid days of just lying here in my bed. At first I refused food, but then hunger became too much and I had to eat. I didn't feel like indulging in anything, let alone life. The first day nothing happened, my phone rang once but it was just my uncle and he meant to call my father instead. That one call, the sound of the ring made me jump out of my bed; I really thought it was her.

I'd call her at least 10 times. 10 times a day, I mean. She never responded, she didn't text back or anything. If she wanted to cut me off then she really did it.

I should trust her, right? The last time we spoke, the last time we kissed, I just couldn't get it out of my head. No matter what I told myself, it felt like goodbye, a real goodbye. I know what that means. It means I had my chance and that's all I get.

You only have one soul mate in life and she was mine. I didn't fight, how could I be so foolish? I put all my trust in her, but not enough trust in my willpower. If I'd just fought for her, if I'd just run away with her.

I heard a gentle knock on my door before it opened. I went to wipe my eyes, but realized it was no use, I'd be crying again in a few minutes anyway, I didn't have to hide that from my fathers. "Hon, someone's here to see you, and she's waiting downstairs." I looked up at my father who came over to sit on my bed.

"Dad, I just…I don't really want to see anyone." I told him before taking the discarded tissues off my bed and tossing them in the trashcan. "I can't deal with it."

"Yes you can and that girl down there had her mom take her all the way over here just to see you. It wouldn't be fair to her, okay? I'm going to send her up." He got up and kissed me on the cheek before heading downstairs. I sat there waiting for whoever it was to just come upstairs and hurry up and leave.

I wasn't expecting Brittany to show up in my doorway. She stood there with a blue beanie on her head to match her eyes, skinny jeans, and a puffy jacket wrapped around her thin arms. In her hands I could see cookies on a plate covered in clear plastic wrap. I thought about getting up and greeting her, but she walked over and sat down on my bed before I could move.

"I brought your homework." She said handing me a few papers clipped together. "And cookies." The smile on her face was heartbreaking, only because I knew I could smile back.

"I can't eat those, I'm vegan." I told her. She frowned and set them down on my nightstand. "Brittany, how could you know? It's the thought that counts, right?"

"I wanted to make you happy by giving you cookies, but if you can't eat them then how can I make you happy." I knew no matter what she did she couldn't ever make me feel happy. I needed Santana back for that to happen.

"Just having you here helps; it was really sweet of you to come over." I said truthfully.

"She hasn't called me back, or Charlie…not even Quinn. She's trying to lay low, it seems stupid to us, but it makes sense to her." Brittany said before holding my face in her hands.

"It doesn't seem stupid it just feels like…it seems selfish." I said holding her hands. "I should've listened to her, I should have listened to you."

"Me? What did I say?" She asked cocking her head to the side.

"About caring for her…if I'd just…my mind told me to stop what I was doing. To stop putting my all into her, but my heart-."

"Nothing can overpower the heart Rachel. Trying to fight off love is worse then giving in-."

"Not this time, this is defiantly worse." I said causing her eyes to go wide. "I have a feeling…I just feel it."

"You feel what? Tell me." Brittany said quietly.

"That she isn't coming back." I whispered it, afraid if I said it too loudly then it would become true. Just saying it scared me, and I could tell that it frightened Brittany too. "I didn't get a chance to say it."

"That you loved her?" Brittany sitting up beside me against my headboard.

"Not out loud. It was the right moment, that was obvious, but…she said she loved me and I was so emotional I couldn't even…I didn't know how to say it back. So I let her go without even saying it."

"She knows that you love her." Brittany assured me. She lifted the plastic off the cookies and grabbed one for herself. "San's dumb though, like a cookie. She's as dumb as a cookie." I smiled and watched Brittany devour two cookies before she looked over and smiled at me.

"Yeah I guess she kinda is." I said with a light chuckle.

"You know what you need?" Brittany said poking my nose with her finger.

"No, and if you have any ideas I'm willing to try anything." I said resting my head on her shoulder. She slung her hand around my shoulder and then pulled us both down so that we were cuddled up. Her arms were around my waist and I frowned for a moment, unsure of what exactly I should do. "Britt-."

"You should cry, just cry a ton…let everything out. I'll hold you so you won't feel alone."

"I think I'm all out of tears, I'm almost sure of it." I said holding onto her arms.

"Okay, that's alright." She said holding onto me tighter. One thing I found out was that I wasn't all out of tears, I had plenty more to spare. The other thing I found out, and truthfully, this was no surprise. I found out that Brittany was the only person who could love without hurting anyone, I found out that Brittany would have to be my rock, at least until I could find my footing again.

Quinn's POV

I spotted Rachel across the cafeteria. She was sitting all alone looking like a miserable sad sack. She's looked like that for the past three weeks, and it was ripping me apart on the inside. I walked over and slammed my tray down on the table, making her jump in her seat and look up at me.

"Would you stop walking around like you just got a visit from death? It's depressing and depressing makes me want to hurl." I sat down next to her and she continued looking down at her food, which she hadn't touched.

"Quinn please just leave me alone." She said.

"Um…no, have you like eaten at all since Santana bailed?" She didn't look up at all. "Eat something dwarf."

"Would you stop being such a fucking bitch to me?" She pushed her tray away from her, slid back her chair, and stormed out of the cafeteria. I would've stood there with my mouth open like a moron all night if I didn't snap out of it when I remembered that she'd just curse and called _me _a bitch.

I stood up and ran after her, all the way to the auditorium. She was on the stage when I got there, classic Berry I thought to myself. She played a few dull notes on the piano before she looked over at me standing in the middle of the aisle.

"It's not like you're the only one affected by this. It's not like you're the only one who's cried over this." I shouted at her. "I stayed positive for the first few days okay, but now about 3 thousand calls later and I know she's not calling back."

"You don't get it." Rachel snapped at me. I climbed up onto the stage and took a deep breath before calmly replying.

"What don't I understand?" I asked.

"How I felt about her…how she felt about me."

"Do you actually think I'm that stupid? I mean honestly Berry I'm not an idiot. I knew about you guys as soon as I sat on San's lap and you burned a hole through my skull with your eyes. I knew since Santana ditched me for you." I crossed my arms over my chest and furrowed my eyebrow. "I thought it was puppy love, until now."

"But what if we were meant to be? You only have one soul mate in this world and Santana was mine-."

"If you two were meant to be then she'll come back." I assured her. She pressed her fingers to the keys again, this time coming up with a short tune. "Okay just come over my house later, we can mop and cry or whatever together."

"Maybe." She said.

"Hey I'm offering you a support system, take the offer." I urged.

"Okay…" She said almost smiling. "I'll be there."

**Review and follow me on tumblr. I'll maybe take some suggested one-shots and all that stuff. Ask me whatever you want and such. ** blog/tryflashback


	32. Second Chance

**Enjoy .**

Rachel's POV

"You didn't have to invite me over." I assured Quinn who was currently driving me to her house right now. I felt beyond out of place, and more than ever I just wished Santana was here to ease the tension. I knew Quinn wasn't inviting me over because she cared or anything, but I knew she just wanted someone to talk to.

"Why don't you have your license yet dwarf?" I'd noticed that the nickname she had for me didn't come out cold anymore. It was sweet really, and I actually think I like it now.

"Santana was actually going to teach me…at least that was what she told me." I said glancing out the window. "Just another thing she lied about." I mumbled.

"Shut up." Quinn said almost scolding me with her eyes. I could see the anger boil up for a moment, like she was going to snap at me, but then her eyes softened. "San doesn't lie like that." We got out of her car and walked to the front of her house. "Charlie is probably out or something, I don't know if B is coming over but probably." She unlocked the door and tossed the key on a table near the door.

Once I stepped inside Quinn kicked the door closed behind me. She made a beeline straight to the kitchen. "I haven't seen my parents in days so either they're dead or they are at some Christian retreat and didn't tell us." She grabbed two beers out of the refrigerator and opened one of them for herself.

While she sipped on the beer, she walked over to check the voicemail messages. I watched her wondering if she knew how mature she looked right now. All of her movements were casual, like she owned this house, and I was an old friend from college.

"Have they called-?" My question was cut off by a voicemail of Mrs. Fabray telling Quinn that they'd be back tomorrow. She looked over at me and smiled, as if to say 'that's how my parents always are'. "There's no way I'm going to drive that." I said as Quinn put the bottle into my hands.

"No matter Berry, just take it, and let's go upstairs." I kept the beer in my hand and followed Quinn upstairs. She took another gulp of her beer before turning on her Ipod and putting it in the dock. "It helps you know."

"What does?" I questioned. She held up her beer bottle and shrugged. "Like mother like daughter." She said in a bitter tone. Telling someone about your mom's drinking habit? That was something friends did. I wonder if it just slipped, but she just kept looking at me like she was expecting some sort of strange reaction.

"That's not you Quinn." I said keeping my head low as I went over to her bed and sat down on the edge.

"You know nothing about me." Her voice was so quiet I almost missed what she said. It was also the first time I think I've ever truly felt sorry for Quinn. I wish I knew how to tell her things would eventually work themselves out, but I couldn't promise her anything.

"So why don't you tell me?" I suggested.

"Tell you what? There's nothing to say really." Quinn said with a shrug. "I used to hate myself when I was a kid because I was fat and a loser. Charlie and I fight more than we don't but I trust her more than anyone. I screwed up with my first love; I slept with him when I shouldn't have…so when you're over there crying over Santana, in a way, I get it. I lost my first love too."

"First and last. I never want to hurt like this again." I held the beer out and Quinn opened it for me without hesitation.

"Crazy talk Berry." Quinn said sitting down next to me on the bed. She tried to look me, right in the eyes, but I avoided her gaze. "You need a good rebound."

"No, I'm not interested in anything like that." I said rolling my eyes. "I've just gotten used to hanging out alone, drinking tea, and reading Dean Koontz novels." I said taking a quick sip of the beer. Quinn stood up and went to go change the song.

"You're gonna turn into a cat lady by the time you're 18." Quinn informed me.

"Cats are sort of cute." I replied.

"For fucks sake what did Santana ever see in you?" It was supposed to be a joke, I could tell by the way she sort of gave me this apologetic look, but we both knew it didn't come out that way. It was an insult, but also a subconscious thought that was supposed to stay inside Quinn's head. "I'm sorry-."

"Fuck you." I muttered looking out towards the window.

"You're a lot bolder than I remember." Quinn replied with a little nod as if I ever needed her approval.

"I'm not usually this short-tempered." I think Quinn understood because she didn't make a joke about it, or even say anything about it anymore.

"I used to have an eating disorder, did you know that?" Quinn questioned. I could tell she was asking because she thought Santana would have told me something like that. She didn't. I shook my head no and Quinn let this weak smile grace her face for a moment before it fell. "Yeah it was so easy to just eat as much as I wanted and just throw it up after. It was simple and I could control my body perfectly. I had control over everything. It was freeing almost…no one knew about it, not until Brittany caught me once. She made me quit doing it, cold turkey and everything. But that feeling, desire to be in control, and the simplicity of control has always stuck with me."

"I care so much about Santana that I care about you. I can't believe for a second or even understand why you've never trusted me." I wanted to hug her but that would be out of character for both of us.

"This is stupid of me to say and I'll probably regret it in a second but…I trust you, okay. So we're officially friends and if you have a PowerPoint or a contract I'll smack you." Quinn said.

"No objections here."

…

Charlie's POV

Ask me how Rachel Berry ended up in my car and I can say, truthfully, I have no idea. I think she tricked me into it, but I wasn't quite sure. The problem now was how could keep her in the dark about what I was really doing?

She was sort of naïve, right? Maybe she wouldn't even notice. Then again she'd have to be a moron not to see that I was going to sell drugs. She was going to be pissed.

"Rachel, you're very persistent, like annoyingly persistent." I said.

"Why thank you." She said with that perfect grin of hers.

"It wasn't actually a-."

"Where are we going?" She asked looking around as we passed by a big shopping mall.

"_We_ aren't going anywhere. You're staying in the car while I take care of something." I informed her and to that, she scuffed as if I couldn't tell her what to do. I looked over at her and raised an eyebrow. Since Santana left two months ago, Rachel has seriously gotten about three million times tougher. It was admirable up until now. "Rachel, you practically jumped into the car while it was moving, you can't demand anything."

"Fine then." She said crossing her arms over her chest and frowning. "Where are _you_ going then?"

"None of your business." I said.

"Look we're driving into Lima Heights Adjacent. There are not many reasons why you'd be going here except…are you buying drugs?"

"Selling and it's not what you think. It's not like…this is the last time." I assured her.

"Said every drug dealer ever." Rachel replied sarcastically.

"I'm not a drug dealer." She arched an eyebrow. "I mean I am, today I am, but well…Brittany's birthday is in two days and I need the money. I'll get a job after this is just once."

"That's surprisingly romantic, in like an irritating way." Rachel said. I pulled up next to the curb in front of a run down apartment complex. I could see my guy sitting on the stoop out front. I didn't know if Wilson would show for backup, I didn't even know if I needed him there. I grabbed the bag of weed and kept the keys in the ignition just in case. I decided I'd wait five minutes and then get out.

"That guy looks super sketchy." Rachel said.

"Everyone out here looks super sketchy." I replied. "I should've called Wilson, should've planned this out better." I mumbled.

"Second thoughts?" I didn't reply to her instead I got out of the car and walked up to the guy sitting there. He was sort of fidgety, which made me think weed wasn't his only vice. I showed him the stuff, discreetly, because even though it was dark out I didn't want anyone around seeing what was going on. The man got up, apparently his name was Bones, or something, but that didn't actually matter to me. I just wanted the money and I was gone.

He reached out for the baggie and I pulled it back quickly. "Nuh uh man, money first." I commanded.

"Upstairs, that's where your money is." I starred at him confused for a moment before I saw three guys exit the apartment and stand near me. I watched them out of the corner of my eye, cursing myself for not bringing my pocketknife.

"Come on girl, let's go upstairs." One of the guys reached for my arm but I avoided the grip and punched him in the gut. I grabbed Bone and knocked him to the ground, taking the money out of his pocket and elbowing the guy behind me. I was about to make a run for it when one of the guys cracked me hard across the face. I guess my adrenaline was in overdrive because the blow didn't knock me down instead I pushed the guy backwards and he fell down. I dashed towards the car and sped off seconds later.

"Are you insane?" Rachel yelled after we were sure no one was following us.

"Yes, and also my face hurts like a bitch." I said rubbing circles against my throbbing cheek. "But hey-." I tossed the money towards her and the weed. "Looks like I came out with the better end of the bargain."

"You know Quinn told me about that day you came home all bloodied up." I looked over at Rachel and groaned. Shit, I can't believe Rachel knows about it too. "So if you were just selling drugs or whatever, you would've told her, so what really happened?" I pulled over to the side of the road, getting out and leaning over. I suddenly felt sick, maybe it was that I could see blood spatter on my shirt from my own face, but it was probably that I remember that day like it was yesterday. I heard Rachel's car door open and close, and then I felt a gentle hand on my back.

"I was at a party with Wilson. I was mad at Quinn about something stupid, and I was even angrier about the fact that Santana would never be into me. So I did the normal thing…smoking, drinking…I don't even know what else." I took a deep breath and leaned back against my car. "I was so out of it, I ended up in someone's bedroom, with this guy…so creep." Rachel leaned against the car next to me.

"Then what happened?" Her voice was soothing and reassuring which made this a lot harder for some reason. Like she was inviting me to say what happened, not forcing me.

"He was kissing me; pulling down my pants, when he touched me down there I…I suddenly sobered up. I threw him off me, wailed on him like a maniac. Wilson stopped me, or something, I looked at him and then at myself. It's was just so much blood, a crazy amount I thought. I just thought I killed the guy because he sure wasn't moving. Wilson called a few days later saying that the guy was alive." I looked at Rachel, waiting for the judgment, the scolding, but it never came.

"You didn't do anything wrong, you protected yourself, and I'm sorry that happened to you, but I'm so thankful that you're okay." Rachel's arms were around me a second later. "Now…what's it gonna be your house or mine? We need to clean your face up otherwise Brittany will be so angry that someone messed it up."

"Your house." I said with a smile. "Question, do you think the pink still looks good on me?" Rachel had to stand on her tiptoes to see my hair properly.

"Yeah, I love it."

…

Santana's POV

"Mopey Santana is unbecoming." Olivia said standing over me as I sulked on the couch. She was holding her laptop in one arm and a spoon in the other hand. She exemplified multitasking at its finest. "Do I need to punch some sense into you? Because you know I will."

"Threatening an abuse victim with violence isn't all that classy." I grumbled.

"Well luckily for you we won't have to worry about class if I don't finish writing a column in the next…" She looked at her watch. "Two hours. How about living in a shelter, is that classy enough for you, because I've got nothing and I'm about to lose my job." I watched her with slight amusement, because I knew she'd pull through in the end, it was just funny to watch her stress about it.

"Relax, why don't you just write a story about puppies or violence or you could do a special column about your failed relationships." I suggested.

"Take a nose dive out the window Tana." Olivia retorted angrily. I laughed knowing full well what stress does to her. She walked around the couch and went back to the kitchen setting down her laptop and eating a spoonful of soup. "What is your deal with this phone? You haven't used it since we got here." I shrugged and turned on the TV to see if _Law and Order_ or something was on.

I heard Olivia moving around behind me but I didn't bother to look. "Wow you've got like a billion missed calls." It was just a statement she threw out there which I already knew. "Wait a second, who the hell is this?" I turned around and jumped over the couch running over and snatching the phone out of her hands. I forgot to lock my screen and I just remembered that the background was a picture of Rachel. In the picture she was holding up a puppy and smiling.

"No one." I mumbled setting the phone down on the counter.

"Yeah because the background of my phone is a girl too." She grabbed my phone again. I figured she was scrolling through the pictures so I might as well just let her. "This girl is adorable, who is she?"

"Her name is Rachel." I said leaning against the counter.

"That's all I get? A name?" I nodded and she rolled her eyes. "Okay so this is your girlfriend?"

"I didn't actually stick around to figure out what we were exactly." I said bitterly. "I told her that I loved her and I left."

"Ouch." She said returning her gaze to the phone. "Well we're close on the paperwork, soon you'll be back."

"I probably lost her for good." I said.

"Not according to the two missed calls from her yesterday. Obviously she still cares about you." Olivia said with a small smile. "Where'd you meet her? School?"

"Yeah, it took me too long to notice her; I was too into my own world."

"And then what? She took your breath away?" Olivia said nudging my shoulder. I smiled but shook my head.

"More like she caught me smoking a few times and we sort of got into this rhythm of seeing each other more than we needed to." I said with a fond smile. "She amazing…like perfect you know? I've never met someone who is actually perfect."

"You are head over heels in love with this girl." Olivia said with a huge grin. "I want to be jealous but I'm actually happy for you."

"Why aren't you freaking out about me being in love with a girl?" I asked skeptically.

"Oh please, I used to study human behavior; I've known you were gay since like seventh grade." Olivia said before having some more of her soup. "I'm such a fucking genius, I should be getting paid more."

"Modesty never really ran in this family, huh?" I went to grab some cheerios out of the cupboard for myself.

"How about we play some video games tonight?" I raised both my eyebrows at that.

"I thought you stopped playing." I said slowly.

"One does not simply stop playing." She informed me.

"But what about your column?"

"You, my friend, just helped me come up with a full proof idea." Olivia said with a satisfied smile on her face. "Now go over there and set up the XBOX, I wants to get my gaming on."

"I've always wondered how you even managed to come off as a normal human being in your everyday life. I mean is it hard pretending not to be a total geek?" I asked her.

"You're one to talk, I mean cheerleading? God talk about major cover up." Olivia said flipping her hair. "You should've just done yearbook like we all know you really wanted to do."

"Touché." I said eyeing her before returning to the couch. "We should fight more often." I said tossing a pillow at her.

"Yeah it keeps the spirits up."

**Okay if anyone is having major Paige McCullers feels after last nights episode of Pretty Little Liars or if you want to talk to me about anything, here's where to go: ** blog/tryflashback

**Review. **


	33. Surprise

**Ready. Set. Read.**

Santana's POV

"You know I hate it when you sulk around. It's annoying; I'll make you take a walk outside if you don't stop." I got up and went over to her kitchen fixing myself a bowl of cereal. I glanced over at my phone; I'd probably lost everything at this point. My friends and Rachel. It wasn't worth it, getting the shit kicked out of me sucked, but losing the people I truly love was worse.

Maybe I should call. Knowing my dad he's probably already got my phone rigged so that as soon as I call he'll know exactly where I am. I just needed a little more time, I couldn't go to foster care, that was out of the question, but I should've told my friends before coming out here, but like I said it's probably too late.

"Call her." Olivia said sitting on the stool in front of me and handing me my phone. "What you think I can't protect you?" She asked.

"I never said that-."

"But I know how you feel about me. I saw it in your eyes when you first came here. And when I told you about still keeping in touch with mom. You think I'm like her." I looked down worried that my expression would give it away. "Since she didn't protect you I should've, so I'll do it now."

"You're doing enough." I assured her.

"I'll call her myself-." She reached for the phone but I pulled it away. "Fine, the next call that comes in, you're answering it, I don't care who it is."

"Fine, whatever-." I was cut off by the sound of buzzing in my hand. "Jesus Christ." Olivia smirked and I sighed, I shouldn't have agreed. I answered the phone holding it to my ear. "Hello?"

"Santana, hi, it's Mr. Berry." My heart started racing. Why would he be calling? Did something happen to Rachel? That had to be it.

"Is it Rachel? Is she okay?" I stood up and went to grab my jacket like I was just going to drive all the way back to Ohio right this second. Olivia got up too, standing in front of me and holding onto my shirt so I couldn't move.

"Yeah she's fine, this is actually about your father." _My father_? Shit, what did he do now? He must have known that I was staying with Rachel, maybe he threatened Dr. Berry, and maybe he threatened Rachel. I'd kill him if he did.

"My father?" Olivia looked at me with furrowed eyebrows when I said that.

"Yes, look this isn't really my place." I wanted to tell him that it was. He'd helped me, he practically saved me, so he could tell me anything. "Your father is getting sued for malpractice; he's going to lose a lot of money. The hospital wants to make this quick, not a lot of publicity, but in layman's terms your father is screwed." I was absolutely speechless, how could I express my happiness to him right now?

"I-I just don't know what to say." I mumbled into the phone.

"Don't say anything, just comeback soon." He said.

"How's Rachel?" I asked all too quickly. The silence on the other end was riveting.

"She's taken things hard, but luckily your friends have come to the rescue. She misses you so much; I can see it in her eyes all the time. She talks about you too, but those are all memories. I think she deserves more than a memory." I agreed, I agreed 100%.

"She'll get more than memories, I can promise you that."

…

Quinn's POV

"You look pretty Quinnie." Brittany said from where she was lying on my bed. I smiled and twirled in front of my mirror. Yeah I guess I did look pretty great. I can't believe I've been having so much fun with Sam. It wasn't so much about the relationship, or physical things, it was the fact that underneath it all, we were really good friends.

"Thanks B, are you and Charlie hanging out here or what?" I asked as Brittany toyed with her _Pikachu _hat.

"We're going to a cooking class, we're making cupcakes today!" Brittany said happily.

"Seriously? You guys are so cute together it makes me want to puke."

"You should take some _Advil_ for that." Brittany advised. "Oh I forgot to tell you, movie night at Rachel's tomorrow."

"Sounds fun, I'm so in." I said. "No word from Santana I take it?" I asked tentatively.

"None, but I know she's going to be back soon. Lord Tubbington said so." As much as I hated the thought of putting my faith in a cat, I was actually willing to do it at this point. I missed Santana, I missed her stupid cocky grin, and when she'd smoke with Charlie and say ridiculous things, but most of all I missed arguing with her. Without her here, no one has been able to keep me grounded, to keep me from going too far.

"Sam's picking me up in an hour but I have time to kill. Hey do you want to do a duet in Glee?" I asked Brittany.

"Yeah totally, that'd be awesome." Brittany said clapping her hands together lightly. "Maybe we can do like a Kesha song? Or Madonna."

"Hell yes, I'm so in, tomorrow we'll just ask Rachel about arranging music and stuff. It'll be so much fun." I loved Glee club, more than cheerleading actually. It gave us an excuse to all come together and just have fun. We didn't have enough people for competitions, but it didn't matter, we were still having fun.

"Maybe Rachel can sing with us?" Brittany suggested.

"Yeah we'll just ask her." I turned when I saw Brittany frown in the mirror. "What's wrong B?"

"Do you think Rachel feels like a fifth wheel? I mean sometimes it's like Sam, you, Charlie, me, and Rachel. Do you think she feels awkward?"

"No, of course not…well maybe."

"She needs someone-."

"She has someone." I didn't mean to snap at her, but I couldn't help it. Talking about Santana always made me tense and become relentless. "Sorry…"

"Don't be." Brittany said calmly. "I've taken up listening to all of Santana's weird Indie music." I smiled.

"Honey I'm home." Charlie shouted from down the stairs. I rolled my eyes but waiting until she came running upstairs to throw a pillow at her. "Wow you look pretty." Charlie said and I was about to twirl again, but Charlie continued. "Oh and Quinn you look nice too."

"Funny." I said putting on my shoes.

"I know I am." Charlie said before giving Brittany an Eskimo kiss.

"Unbearably adorable." I muttered.

"Oh by the way your plans with Sam have changed. Instead of dinner at Breadsticks you're coming with us for the cooking class." This was news to me.

"Does Sam know about this change of plans?" I asked.

"Yeah, I saw him at the comic book store earlier and as soon as I mentioned cupcakes he jumped on the idea." Charlie explained getting into my bed and laying down next to Brittany.

"Oh thank God! I was so jealous of your date, I was just going to sneak and steal some of your cupcakes later anyway." I confessed.

"Double date it is." Charlie said. "Now call Sam and tell him to hurry."

…

Rachel's POV

My dads always made me go out when they did. They didn't want me home alone sulking around. The Lima Bean was generally my place for solace. Kurt would get me free coffee and on his off days he'd sit with me and we'd talk just like we were doing today.

"I'm really proud of him." Kurt said with a small smile as he played with his lid on his coffee cup.

"Dave's come a long way." I said with a smile too. "So do you have a PFLAG meeting today?"

"Yep in like-…" Kurt checked his watch. "An hour." That gave us about thirty minutes until he had to go. Kurt glanced over my shoulder and when a gasp escaped his lips I had to look for myself. It looked just like Santana, she was standing in line, her back to us, but it looked just like her. No it was her.

My feet were walking over towards her before my brain could catch up. I reached out, grabbing her arm and turning her around forcibly. "Santana." When our eyes met, I took a step back barely avoiding an elderly man. It wasn't her but, by God, the woman standing in front of me had an uncanny resemblance to Santana. "Oh…I-I'm sorry, you just looked like…a friend of mine." She nodded still looking at me with a look of shock. I was about to turn on my heels and go back to the table with Kurt when she took a step forward.

"Wait." I stood their while she paid for her coffee and then she turned towards me. "Can I sit with you?" I nodded and ushered her back to the table with Kurt, pulling up a chair for her.

"I'm really sorry though, I wasn't thinking when I-." Kurt nudged me under the table and I gave him a warning glare.

"It's okay." She said.

"I'm going to go to my meeting, call me later Rachel." Kurt said before grabbing his phone and keys and leaving us alone. I thought his escape was quick and sort of rude, but I couldn't stop looking up at me.

"Is he your boyfriend?" She asked. I could see her jaw line tense for a second and it felt like she wanted me to say no.

"No, just a friend." She relaxed and took a sip of her coffee. "My name is-."

"I know who you are." She said cutting me off with a little flick of her wrist.

"You do?" I questioned.

"Of course, my sister talks about you all the freakin time." She said with a roll of her eyes. "Santana literally sits on my balcony taking hipster pictures, smoking, and thinking about you." This was Santana's sister? Wait, this meant she was staying with her? Here? In Ohio maybe?

"Is she okay?" I actually didn't mean to say that. What I meant to ask is _where is she_, but I guess my feelings took over as usual.

"Yeah she's fine, moping around like a moron though." She explained. "I bet you're upset with her."

"No, I just have been worried sick."

"She couldn't call, you know? She couldn't let dad find her." It felt weird that she'd called Mr. Lopez dad, just like that, like they were still family. I wanted to ask her what she'd said, everything she'd said, if she still smiled sometimes. "I couldn't force her to come back right away, to face all of this; she's faced too much alone."

"I just want to see her."

"She's not dead." I opened my mouth to say something about how rude that was until I realized that was exactly what Santana would say. They didn't just look alike, they acted the same too. "You ought to smack her when you see her."

"Smack her?" I asked with a raised eyebrow.

"Yeah, hell yeah. Smack her really fucking hard." She said doing little movements with her hands as she talked.

"I'll think about it." I joked. "So, you live near here?" I asked assuming she lived at most forty minutes away.

"God no, I live in New York. I'm actually back because…well because of what your father said I guess." I nearly spilled my coffee when I sat up straighter in my seat.

"What? My father?" I shouted causing half of the Lima Bean to turn in my direction.

"Yeah he's the one who told us that our dad's getting sued for all he's got, which means once I'm done with this paper work, my sister can be a free girl." She looked very satisfied with herself and I was literally bursting with questions.

"Sorry, I forgot to even ask your name." I said.

"She never told you my name? Well I'm defiantly going to kick her ass." She said flipping her hair over her shoulder. "My name is Olivia, I'm smart, perfect in every way, and far superior to my loser sister. Although your taste isn't that bad considering she looks like me." I take it back, she's nothing like Santana, but she was really funny, and I actually felt comfortable around her. "So I think the real question here is do you find me attractive?" I guess this is what happens to a person when they move out of Ohio and become confident in everything.

"I only have eyes for her." I responded truthfully.

"That's painfully adorable." She said. "Just like you. San has pictures of you on her phone but in person you're literally like a puppy."

"Did Santana call me a puppy?" I asked cocking my head to the side.

"No, she just gushes about your eyes, legs, your everything. I have it on video." She said pulling out her iPhone. I was so eager to see the video; I scooted all the way over by her just so I could see. She pulled up a video and pressed play. The first thing I saw was a counter top; it must have been her kitchen or something. And then the camera lifted and there was Santana with a tank top on and sweat pants.

"_Hey loser look at the camera."_ That was obviously Olivia from behind the camera. _"You look like shit." _I could see a smile form on Santana's mouth. She flicked off the camera and stuck out her tongue.

"_Put that thing down." _She tried to cover the camera with her hand but Olivia must have pulled it away too quickly.

"_No, I'm doing an interview. What do you think about Rachel?"_ I blushed and hoped that Olivia didn't see me right now.

"_She's perfect."_ Santana said leaning back in the stool that she was sitting on.

"_This is going in the New Yorker by the way." _Santana shrugged.

"_You don't think I want the whole world to know how much I love her? I don't care. Put it on the 10 o'clock news tonight."_

"_What's the best thing about Rachel?"_ Olivia asked. The camera moved closer to Santana's face.

"_You can't find the best part of someone who's perfect."_ I wanted to cover my face because I must have been beet red, but I didn't want to miss a second of the video.

"_You think she's hot shit huh?"_ Olivia asked.

"_Yeah, she's beyond sexy. You'd think someone who's that short wouldn't have legs like that." _I laughed as Santana wiggled her eyebrows at the camera.

"_So what are you gonna do when you get back to Ohio?"_ Olivia asked. Santana just looked at the camera and wiggled her eyebrows again.

"Oh she wishes." I muttered to myself. The video ended and I looked at Olivia who sighed and then started laughing. "What? What's so funny?"

"You, as if you could resist the charm of a Lopez kid."

…

Santana's POV

Walking down the empty hallway seemed sort of unfamiliar. Usually there were people all around, talking, yelling, and throwing things. That's what high school was for, throwing one thousand kids in one place and telling them to try not to be morons.

I guess everyone was at practice, but I was only looking for one practice actually. I'd already checked the choir room, but it was empty which meant they must all be in the auditorium. Luckily, the lights were dim so when I opened the door and entered no one noticed. Rachel was on stage, singing _Thank You_ by Alanis Morrisette. She was of course flawless.

I thought I'd tear up when I saw her, but no, it was more like happiness. Just pure happiness. Fighting back the smile was hard; fighting back the urge to run up on the stage and wrap my arms around her was harder. The last note was sort of magical in the way that things seemed like a fairytale.

I stepped further into the auditorium. The light still hadn't caught me, but when I started clapping everyone turned towards me. "Bravo!" I yelled stepping all the way into the room. I've never seen Rachel run so fast, actually I've never seen her run, but as soon as her hands touched me I picked her up and pressed my lips to hers.

It wasn't about passion anymore, it was just about touching her again, having her hands in my hair, holding her and never wanting to let go. I have never experienced this feeling, never felt my whole body shiver under someone's touch, not out of love not like this. "I love you so much." I said kissing her again.

Finally, we had to pull apart, not because we wanted to but because Quinn pried Rachel off me and engulfed me into a hug of her own, and soon Brittany's arms were around me too. "Don't ever do that to me again." Quinn whispered in my ear.

"I won't." I whispered back.

"I'm so happy you're back Sanni." I didn't get a chance to back up before Brittany kissed me full on the lips. I pressed my hands against her arms and pushed back as quickly as I could.

"Britt!" I said not sure if embarrassment or anger was the right emotion to feel right now.

"Sorry, I just got so excited." Brittany explained. I didn't have a chance to respond because Puck was picking me up and swinging me around in his arms.

"Puckerman! Put me down!" But the truth was I didn't care if he put me down or not, I was just happy to be back, and I was even happier knowing that everyone else missed me.

…

"Nice place." Quinn said looking around as I opened the door to my new apartment for them. In came Quinn, Charlie, Brittany, Sam, and Rachel. They each had snacks and soda, I noticed that Charlie had beer instead, but that was all right.

I wasn't able to unpack everything, but I had the necessary things set up, like a flat screen, appliances, and the couch. "Thanks, I still have a lot of work to do, but yeah it's alright." I said with a shrug.

"Suddenly you're modest." Rachel said holding my hand as I walked over and turned on the TV. Everyone crowded the couch while I got cups. In came Olivia spotting the beer almost instantly.

"Sorry I can't have underage drinking on my watch." Olivia said glancing over at Charlie who sank down lower on the couch. "Ha, just kidding!" She said rubbing my head. "What do I care? I'm going out, and I'll be back at least by two, don't get into too much trouble." She said before walking over to Rachel and barely trying to whisper, "Have fun." She walked over to me and gave me the good ol bro handshake, pulling me in towards her so that she could whisper in my ear, "Get some tonight." I blushed and laughed, in that order and waved my sister off.

"Hey Rachel you left your phone over here." Quinn said tossing it towards me so I could catch it.

"Thanks Santana, I'll just take that-." I pulled the phone back and dangled it in front of her face. "Santana, give me my phone." She said trying to grab it again. I held it above her head and laughed as she tried to jump and grab it. "Come on shrimp." I joked. Rachel really didn't appreciate that but she gave it one last jump before I decided it was enough. She crossed her arms over her chest and pouted, I could see the foot stomp coming as I continued to laugh.

"You're so mean." She exclaimed. I was happy everyone in the living room was watching TV and eating because I don't think Rachel would like being laughed at by everyone.

"I'm mean?" I questioned moving closer to her. I brought the phone back down, thankful that Rachel was wearing skinny jeans for a change because that allowed me to put the phone into her back pocket. I gave her butt a squeeze and pulled her closer towards me so I could get a look for myself. "Wow, I missed that." Rachel blushed but let me keep my hands where they were.

"Did you miss this?" She wrapped her arms around my neck and kissed me sweetly on the lips. "And this." She kissed my top lip. "And this." Then my bottom lip. "I love you." I didn't know if that was what I was waiting for, I knew it was how she felt but, hearing it, that changed everything.

"She loves you too." The entire group of friends behind us said in unison. I turned around to see Sam, Charlie, Quinn, and Brittany all looking at us with cheesy grins on their faces.

"Yeah…that."

**Review review review. Follow me on tumblr: Tryflashback**

**By the way, this isn't the last chapter, we've got one more.**


	34. I Win

**You guys ready for the last chapter?**

Charlie's POV

The moment I saw him speeding around my parking lot and up towards my car I knew there was trouble. Wilson was just that kind of guy, impulsive and stress cause him to be a maniac. He parked but kept his car running as he jumped out and walked over towards me. "Charlie Fabray, what's up?"

"What do you want?" I asked coldly. We hadn't talked for a while, I didn't want to talk, or see him. His middle name was 'trouble' and it's not worth it.

"Why the harsh attitude Charlie? I was just trying to help you out, but hey if you don't want my help then I'm out of here." He said raising his arms up defensively.

"Fine, bye." I said as I threw my backpack in my car.

"What the fuck? I've got good stuff for you and all you're gonna do is tell me to fuck off? What is your deal?" It was almost like he was demanding an answer, but I didn't pay him that much attention.

"I've changed, you should too." I encouraged him.

"What is that supposed to mean? Is this some kind of game, a trick or something?" I rolled my eyes. Was he really this simple? Didn't he get it?

"We've all got to grow up sometime and guess what? I'm getting older, I'm finding out who I am as a person. I've been independent for most of my life but now I have someone I truly care about. I won't ruin that for something to stupid, so trivial, I'm smarter than that." I explained to him.

"So that's it? No more partying, getting high and all that?" He asked.

"Like I said I've grown up." I reassured him. "You got me through hard times, not in the right way, but you got me through them. But I can't call you a friend because you're not like my other friends. We were always just there together, impaired by alcohol or pot or whatever. I don't know you and you don't know me." He almost seemed taken aback. Almost.

"We went through shit together Charlie-."

"No we didn't!" I snapped at him wishes I could just hit him hard enough to make him understand. "Clean yourself up, get your GED, get a job…but don't come near me until you do." I warned him. "I've known enough heartbreak and pain to understand how amazing I feel now that I'm happy."

"So you're cutting me off? Well shit Fabray." He said crossing his arms over his chest visibly upset.

"I'm only a sophomore, next year I'll end up freaking out about college, but this year is supposed to be the time when I'm leaning the most about myself. I know how strong I am, I know that I don't need drugs to make myself feel good, not anymore at least. I've got someone for that, I've got great friends for that."

"Okay…I get you, I know what you're saying." He said with a small shrug. "But getting my GED and shit, what good is that gonna do me? I've got a rep around here…adults know I'm a troublemaker. Once a Lima loser always-."

"You're strong enough to change, everyone is." I said getting into my car. "I've got a future and so do you, so get out of here."

…

"Britt, Quinn's in the other room, and Rachel's downstairs with Sam, they'll hear us." I warned, accepting the kisses but being sure to stay seated on my bed rather than laying down. Once Brittany gets me to lay down then there's no turning back. Brittany was about to jump on top of me when I wrapped my arms around her waist picking us both up and planting a kiss on her cheek before setting her down again. "Let's go and get a snack." I suggested.

"But you're right here and you're delicious." Brittany said capturing my lips again.

"Later." I promised her kissing her cheek. "I heard a rumor that we're making smores tonight, though. Let's go steal some marshmallows." That excited Brittany enough that she grabbed my hand and pulled me downstairs. Sam and Rachel stopped their conversation and looked over at us with raised eyebrows.

"That was quick." Sam joked nearly choking in his own laughter. Rachel too was laughing but she tried to busy herself with grabbing plates rather than looking directly at Brittany and I.

"We were actually just about to get our earplugs." Rachel joked.

"We are not that loud!" I defended feeling my cheeks start to burn red. It didn't feel as embarrassing as it should have, talking about my sex life with other people, but having Sam there was a little odd.

"Yes we are." Brittany said without even blinking. "Well actually you are." She said with a shrug. "Wait, leave the marshmallows out." She said reaching in the bag and grabbing a handful for us to share.

"Is Quinn ready? The burgers are getting cold." Sam said effectively changing the subject and bouncing lightly on his feet.

"Calm down Ken." Ken had been my nickname for him since Quinn denied me the right to call her Barbie anymore. Sam was actually the sweetest guy I've ever met. Beyond a doubt. I loved that he treated my sister with respect and furthermore he was kind to everyone. "Besides what's the rush? Planning on doing the deed with her tonight?"

"Charlie leave him alone." Rachel warned.

"I just wanted her to see my new shirt." Sam said innocently. I believed him but I always gave him a hard time about it. I was surprised that he hadn't really made a move or tried to pressure Quinn in anyway, like Puck had, but that was different and the past, it was important to move on from that. The doorbell rang and I tossed a marshmallow up in the air which Brittany caught in her mouth, and walked over towards the door passing Quinn as she was headed towards the kitchen.

"Who's at the door?" She said patting my arm.

"I dunno, Ken doll over there wants you to see his new shirt." I told her. She peaked into the kitchen and smiled. "Hold on I'll be right in let me get the door first." Quinn nodded and went in the kitchen, grabbing plates alongside Rachel to set the dining room table. I swung open the front door just to be met by Puck, Kurt, and Dave. "Good news Sammy, you've got reinforcements." I joked welcoming them all in.

"The guys are here?" He questioned running through the kitchen and giving them all high fives. "Estrogen overload, thank God you all showed."

"Yeah we were just about to paint Sammy's nails." I joked. I closed the door behind them and lead them into the dining room.

"You never said Noah was coming over." Rachel said happily skipping over and giving Puck a hug. "We should get him a bib." Rachel suggested causing just about everyone to burst out into laughter.

"He's not that messy." Sam said.

"Trust me he is, when we went to the swim meet yesterday, he ended up with mustard all over his shirt." I exchanged glances with Rachel before smirking.

"So, what are you guys like dating?" I asked.

"Good one Pinky, but no I'm not gay…not that there's anything wrong with that." Puck added respectfully. "How could I pass up seeing 300 girls in bathing suits?"

"Wow you haven't changed one bit." Quinn said rolling her eyes.

"Thanks Q-tip." Puck said with a laugh.

"Where's San? I thought you were picking her up." I said confused. Normally she'd be here much earlier. She would have been tossing things at me or sneaking kisses with Rachel while she thought no one was looking.

"I swung by but she said she had to take care of something. She said she'd be here before we went outside for the bonfire. Olivia was at her apartment though so maybe she has to take care of a family thing?" That was probably it, but why wouldn't she tell Rachel if that was what she was doing. We all decided to just ignore it, Santana would be here soon, and we shouldn't ruin the mood by worrying too much. "Scale of 1-10, what are my chances of hooking up with Olivia?"

"Zero." We all said in unison.

"The Puckster lives for a challenge." Puck said flexing his muscles. Quinn walked over, smacked him on the head, and set the lettuce down all in one swift motion.

"Okay come on guys, I'm starving!" Dave said sitting down between Kurt and I.

"Okay wait before we start I just want to say." I stood up, sort of dramatically but I think that was because I hung out with Rachel more often now. "I'm just really happy that everyone could make it, and we can all be surrounded by friends. We went through a lot," I glanced at Dave who nodded, "But we're all stronger now. I love you guys." I leaned down and kissed Brittany's cheek. "I love all of you guys."

…

Santana's POV

"You are aware that you don't actually have to be there when they read the will. I could've just gone for you just as easily." I didn't mind that Olivia was trying to talk me out of going to our grandmother's estate, but I wish she would just give it a rest right now. I'd made up my mind, and stubbornness ran in the family, she should know that it wasn't going to change.

"I wanna see the look on his face." I said simply.

"Okay." We parked; we were silent now that we were approaching the front steps. We didn't have to knock, the door was already open, and I could just see the back of my uncle's head in the living room. There were a few cars out front, the only once I actually noticed, of course, was my father's. But as I moved further into the house, with Olivia walking in front of me I could see two more aunts and 6 cousins.

"What the hell are you doing here?" It wasn't like I expected a nice 'hello', but I didn't think he'd already be in Olivia's face, glaring her down like he had any control over her anymore.

"We're here for exactly the same reasons that you are." I spoke up standing at my sister's side.

"I should've known you were staying with your sister." He said shaking his head in disgust. "You're both ungrateful little-."

"Hey I see two seats right there. Let's go sit down." I enjoyed the power than came with ignoring my father, I liked that I felt stronger all of a sudden. We went to sit down, and once the lawyer saw us he began. I didn't pay much attention to what he was saying, I think my aunt and uncle got the estate, which they deserved, but none of it really brought my mind into focus until the accounts were mentioned.

"And as to the sum of 6.7 million dollars, the money goes to Santana Rosa Lopez to be used for her continued education, housing, and pursuit of a career. The sum of 1.2 million dollars will be entrusted in the account of Olivia Anna Lopez to help with medical expenses, housing expenses and to everything she sees fit." You could hear a pin drop. I actually thought about just running, or crying or something to portray shock, but I didn't know what to do. I knew my grandmother had a lot of money, but…wow. All I can say is wow.

"What?" The shock in my father's voice forced it to crack. "What the hell did you do? You devil, you bruja!" My uncle stood between my father and I. He had his hands on my father's chest to keep him from lunging at us. "How? How did this happen?" He screamed.

"I guess I'm granny's favorite." I said with a shrug.

"No, you tricked her! You made her give you the money, you greedy little fucker!" My uncle kept holding him back but all I did was move closer.

"No, I didn't trick her! I'm not greedy like you! I lived my whole life in hell!" I spat back. "I didn't do anything wrong. I won." My shoulder hit his hard as I walked by him heading out towards my car. Olivia jogged over to catch up to me.

"Get back here!" Apparently my uncle couldn't hold my father back enough. He was running out towards us, and he only stopped when he was a few feet away.

"You don't own us, not anymore. Is that what happened? Did mom finally leave you?" I said through clenched teeth. "She was smart, it took her a while but I'm proud of her. I don't need to waste my time anymore, though, I don't have to stand here and listen to you. I win, you lose it's that simple." It was taking everything I had not to scream. I think the fact that I knew Olivia was here to protect me helped a little bit. "So we're gonna go now. I'm late for a dinner, I promised my girlfriend I'd be there."

"Your what?" He yelled.

"Her _girlfriend_ and even if you have a problem with that we don't care. We're set for life now, and now your life is over, have fun trying to dominate when you have nothing to dominate." Olivia said. "Come on." She took my keys and unlocked the car. We got in, at the same time, slamming the doors shut at the same time.

We sat there for a while, getting a feel for the silence, before Olivia started the car and drove off.

…

"I'm gonna get a ride home from Rachel." I told Olivia as I got out of my car.

"Okay cool, I'm probably gonna go back, switch cars and get back to New York. Did you want me to stay one more day?" I could tell she was anxious about getting back. She hadn't been able to write well since she'd been here, so I didn't want to hinder her position at the New Yorker.

"No, no go back. I'll probably make a visit next weekend, if that's okay." I said.

"Of course it is. You're always welcome moron." She said with a smile. I noticed her eyes shift over my shoulder but before I could turn around I felt arms wrap around my waist and a quick kiss on my neck.

"Everyone's out back." Rachel said. "Hi, Olivia, you're welcome to join us." Rachel offered.

"As great as that sounds I'm actually heading back to New York tonight. Plus I'm not in the mood to hang with a bunch of high school kids." Rachel nodded against my back, and I waved goodbye to my sister before bending down so that Rachel could jump on my back.

"Where were you?" Rachel asked as I began walking towards the Fabray's back gate.

"Just taking care of some things. How was dinner?" I asked.

"Delicious, Quinn made some excellent veggie burgers." Rachel said. As I opened the gate. "Are you hungry?"

"Just for smores." I said. "Hey guys." Brittany was doing a headstand on the grass while Puck attempted to right next to her. He fell to the ground when he heard my voice.

"You made it!" Quinn said skipping over and handing me a newly made smore. I bit into it and I nearly melted. Rachel slid off my back and grabbed onto my hand pulling me towards a seat. I sat down with my smore in hand while Rachel comfortably sat on my lap and started roasting another marshmallow.

"I haven't had smores in a really long time." I said wrapping my arm around Rachel's waist and kissing her neck. "They're almost as delicious as you."

"Trying to get into my pants this early?" Rachel questioned looking over her shoulder at me.

"No that comes later." I informed her. "Will your dads mind if you stay over at my place tonight?" I asked.

"Let me just put it this way, they're at the point where yesterday they asked me if you and I were having sex." I cringed at that. I sort of wished the Berry men were naïve.

"Shit, let me call them." Rachel handed me her phone. I dialed her home number and Hiram Berry picked up. "Hi Mr. Berry, it's Santana."

"Oh hi Santana. Isn't Rachel with you? You're taking care of my baby girl right?" Hiram asked.

"Yes of course, I was just wondering if Rachel could stay over at my place tonight?" Rachel crossed my fingers.

"Um…where will you two be sleeping?" I looked over at Rachel with wide eyes.

"Uh…in the bed?" I said slowly.

"Okay Santana I'm just going to be honest with you. I was once a teenager too, I know that you and Rachel have been getting very serious lately, and that's okay with me because I know you're a wonderful and responsible girl. So if you girls are having sex it would be nice if you just told me now." I swallowed audibly and sighed.

"Yes sir we are."

"Well I trust that you'll be responsible about it and that you will both make sure the other is comfortable. I won't ask you to stop because I've seen Romeo and Juliet enough, but I will say this. Do not hurt my daughter, or I will have to hurt you." I heard shuffling on the phone and then Dr. Berry's voice came on. "Hi Santana, I'm sorry my husband is sending death threats you way. He doesn't mean them, now have fun, and be safe. And don't forget, tomorrow you're invited to dinner."

"Of course I wouldn't miss it for the world. Bye Dr. Berry." I said handing Rachel her phone back. "Yep they know. And they said we should be safe. Aw that means no handcuffs." I joked snapping my fingers like I was upset.

"You are ridiculous." Rachel said standing up and pulling me up too so we could make another smore together. "Oh wait I forgot! I got you a present!" Rachel was pulling me into the house and upstairs to Charlie's room.

"I don't even want to know why the covers are so messy." I muttered as Rachel bent over and picked up a bag from the mall. She tossed the bag at me and I looked inside. It was a red shirt, no wait it was two.

"Thing 1 and Thing 2 shirts!" She exclaimed taking one of them for herself. And making sure I had the other in my hand.

"You are so adorable." I said pulling off my shirt and putting on the Thing 2 shirt, while Rachel did the same thing with hers. "I love it." I leaned down and kissed her on the lips. "I love you." I took her hand and we walked downstairs just like that, going outside and bringing all eyes on us.

"And the winner for the cutest couple goes to Santana 'Whipped' Lopez and Ms. Rachel Barbra Berry." Quinn exclaimed causing everyone around us to cheer.

….

Quinn's POV

"Hey." I slammed my locker shut and turned around just to see Finn Hudson towering over me.

"What do you want?" I asked handing him my books so he could hold them while I fixed my hair. I took the books back and glared at him. "Are you gonna stand there like a moron or what? I don't have all day."

"Um…I was just, you and Sam are still dating huh?" I had no idea where this was going but I didn't like it at all. It was just us in the hallway which made me feel uncomfortable.

"Yes." I said continuing to maintain my unfazed demeanor.

"I'll just cut to the chase; I've had a crush on you since freshman year. You're so beautiful Quinn. Everything about you is perfect. I just watch you every day and I think, God, I'm in love with you." I just held my books close to my chest, trying not to puke or smack him. This was insane. He was insane. Who does he think he is?

"Hey Hudson, back off my girl." I turned around at the sound of Puck's voice. Oh great, now I had to deal with both of them. "You deaf boy? I said back off." Finn maybe have been taller but he knew not to mess with Puck, so he did as he was told and walked away. Puck leaned up against the locker next to me. "Aren't you gonna thank me?"

"Oh my knight in shining armor!" I exclaimed dramatically. "I could've handle that myself." I assured him.

"Alright." Puck said with a smirk.

"And calling me your _girl_, as fucking if Puckerman." I said.

"Okay that was out of line, but I was only messing around." I nodded and kept my gaze down so I wouldn't have to look at him. "Actually seeing you two this weekend made me realize how happy you two are, so you've got my blessing."

"I never asked for your approval."

"You know what Quinn, you don't have to be so angry all the time." I looked up at him and arched an eyebrow. "Before I understood why, but now you're with Sam, Charlie's happy, and so is Santana. It was a front before to keep your walls up because you were afraid of someone hurting you, but you don't have to be afraid anymore."

"It's just a matter of time…" I said.

"Until what?" He questioned.

"It all comes crashing down. No one stays happy forever." I explained to him. "I just…I want to protect myself from hurt, is that really so bad?"

"Everyone who could've hurt you has, so stop looking for the bad in life because you've already found it." He took my face in his hands. "Be happy for a change…it feels amazing. And I can honestly say I want nothing more than for you to feel amazing."

"Since when did you become a sweetheart?" I asked.

"Since I started thinking with my head and not my…um…."

"Yep I got it!" I said cutting him off before he could even thinking about finishing.

"Can I walk you to class?" Puck offered.

"Of course." I said taking his arm and smiling. "Oh and by the way, next time you have to defend me from Hudson, hit him at least once." I suggested.

"Can do, Q-tip, can do."

…

Rachel's POV

"_This is our fate, I'm yours_." Santana sang into my ear. I laughed and tried to continue making pancakes. "Sorry, it's been stuck in my head for days."

"It's okay, I love your voice." I told her. "Keep singing." I urged her.

"Maybe I will in Glee Club today." She said with a shrug. She back up and smacked my butt causing me to nearly knock over the plate full of pancakes. "Bring me my food woman!" She joked. I brought the food to the table and we both dug in. I wondered how often my fathers would let me spend the night at Santana's now that they knew we were actually having sex. I just loved waking up next to her, even if we both knew we had to get to school in about 30 minutes.

We normally took turns cooking breakfast. I'll have to admit that Santana was a better cook even when she was trying some of my vegan recipes. "What class do you have first?" She asked with a mouth full of food.

"Santana chew." She did so and swallowed before she repeated her question. "AP lit. So I'll end up seeing you at lunch."

"Brittany is bringing cookies so we're totally staying rather than going out." Santana explained. "Come on smurfette, we gotta get going." She stole a bite of my pancakes before I ate my last bite. Santana grabbed my backpack for me, along with hers and we went out to her car to start the day.

…

"This blows!" Puck yelled slamming his fist down on the empty chair next to him. "We started this club so we could be a family, and now they're trying to destroy it? All we need is one more stupid person; we're not that far off." I agreed with Puck 100% but that still didn't mean that Principal Figgins would. It just seemed sort of anticlimactic. To have gone through so much in this past few months and have the highlight of it sort of shattered to the ground.

"I'm sorry Puck, but we're a man short, they gave us time but we just didn't make the cut." Mr. Shuester said solemnly.

"You okay?" Santana asked me wrapping her arm around my shoulders.

"No, but at least the club made it this far. No one even thought we'd make it past a week." I said resting my head against her body.

"This is crap, the Cheerios could bomb a children's hospital and we'd get away with it." Quinn said standing up. "I'm gonna go talk to Figgins." Quinn said boldly.

"You don't have to do that." All eyes shot to the door where Dave Kurofsky was standing. "You got room for one more?" No one moved or even said a word. The shock that Dave actually wanted to join was amazing. He'd grown so much in such a short period of time.

"Of course we do man." Puck said standing up and giving Dave a hug.

"Actually make that two." The voice was unmistakable. The high pitched flutter and the soft tone meant it could only be one person. "Kurt Hummel is back at McKinley and I'm here to stay!" It didn't take long for the entire Glee Club to run over and engulf both boys into a group hug. The cheers probably could have been heard down the hallway, but no one cared. Glee Club was going to make it, we all were going to make it. I was beaming and so was everyone else.

"It looks like Glee Club is here and we are here to stay." Mr. Shuester said with a huge grin.

"Only one thing left to do." Quinn said with a smile.

"Have a tea party?" Brittany questioned.

"No, Britt…" Santana said. "Sing."

"Come on guys I know the perfect song." I said rushing over and whispering something into Brad's ear. "5, 6, 7, 8!"

**The End. Those of you who stuck around throughout the whole story, you guys deserve an award. Thank you so very much, honestly. This fic was a ton of fun to write, and I'm so happy I got bored one day and decided to write it. Thanks again. If you want to talk to me about anything my tumblr is: tryflashback. Otherwise, I've got other stories in progress, but thanks again guys!**


	35. Author's Note

**Author's Note:**

**Okay so here's the deal guys. Today an Anon on tumblr asked me if I was going to do a sequel to this story or another chapter. I'm going to leave it up to you guys to decide if I do at least one more chapter. Post a review saying if you want another chapter and give me an idea about what you're want to happen. I'm going to need a certain number of interested people to actually go ahead and write another, so everyone let me know.**

**Thanks and I love you all.**


	36. Shut Up and Drive

**I slaved over this chapter for a solid two hours. For some reason it was actually rather difficult to write, but I hope it's up to some standards. Thank you all for the support throughout this whole fic, you guys are wonderful. Enjoy.**

Rachel's POV

The knocking on the front door was making me go crazy. I knew my fathers were downstairs, which meant I knew they were just waiting for me to get up and answer the door myself. It was sort of part of this unwritten punishment for something I didn't even do. In fact, I wasn't even involved in the whole thing, I blame Quinn. She'd been over my house last week and she was explaining that she had to hide Charlie's stash of weed at my house because she'd noticed a few things moved around her room and she was almost certain that her parents were going through her things, and that meant Charlie's too. The thing was, Charlie hadn't smoked in a while and neither had Santana which made me incredibly proud of them both, but also more willing to help out than I should have been. So I let Quinn hide the stash in my jewelry box thinking it'd be safe there and Charlie could come by and get rid of it later, but unfortunately for me my dad found the stash before she could.

That's why I'm being punished indirectly, because my fathers know it's not mine, but they think it's either Santana's or Charlie's. I didn't want to get either of them in trouble, and Santana told me not to snitch on Charlie, I listened to her, but I still don't like that she's willing to take the blame for something she didn't do.

I rolled out of my bed, pushing my notebooks to the side and rushing downstairs to open the door. Santana was standing there, dangling keys in front of my face with a huge grin on her face. "Santana!" I said grabbing the front of her shirt and pulling her inside. She nearly dropped the keys at my movements. "I thought you were in New York with Olivia."

"I was but then I remembered something." She hadn't stopped smiling since I'd pulled her in the house and it was actually starting to make me smile.

"What'd you remember?" I asked pushing her back towards the steps. She stopped me and smiled even more.

"A promise I made to you a long time ago. Something along the lines of me teaching you how to drive." Now I was the giddy one. I'd completely forgotten. And I couldn't believe she came all the way back from New York a day early just to see me. "So what do you say, you, me, and a Chevy?"

"Hold on let me go grab my coat-." I was about to rush upstairs and do just that when my dad walked in.

"Hon, where are you going?" He questioned. Usually he would be cheerful around Santana, but right now he looked apprehensive. Santana noticed right away because she looked down at the ground and shifted her weight twice before looking back up at him.

"Santana and I are just going to hang out." It was a known fact that my daddy wanted to teach me how to drive, but how could I pass up this opportunity? "Is something wrong?" I asked. Usually my dad would just leave us alone. Privacy was very important because they didn't want to scare Santana away, but right now it did not look like my dad was budging, and in came daddy just behind him.

"Santana I'd like to get a urine sample from you." You could cut the tension in the air with a buzz saw. I wanted to grab Santana and take her upstairs, to get her as far away from my parents as humanly possible. What the hell got into them?

"Dad, that is highly inappropriate, I cannot for a second believe that you'd even ask my _girlfriend_ to do such a thing. If you don't trust her, then talk to her about it, don't stoop to this insane level of-."

"Okay." Santana said rubbing my arm encouragingly. "I'll do it." She said stepping forward. "You do have a cup right?"

"Alright that's all I needed to hear." Santana and I exchanged looks of confusion before turning back towards my dad. "I was just testing you. I assume if you were smoking pot then you wouldn't be so willing to give a sample, therefore you passed."

"Dad that's completely-." Santana started laughing before I could finish and daddy joined in with her while dad looked confused and I rolled my eyes. "Okay fine I'm going to go ahead and grab my coat and I'll be right down."

I grabbed my coat and my wallet just in case we went out to eat afterwards. I went back downstairs as quickly as I could hoping to catch Santana before she got into a deep conversation. I was too late. She already had a cup of coffee in her hand and my dad was going on about this lunatic patient who tried to attack him last week.

"So he had a knife?" Santana asked my dad who was more than willing to tell his story.

"Yes and I must be honest I was afraid, but luckily I evaded the culprit." I rolled my eyes at my father as he talked about his _heroics_. I walked over to Santana and she wrapped her arm around my shoulder.

"Enough dad, Santana's trying to take me somewhere." I grabbed Santana's hands and pulled her towards the front door. "We'll be back by…"

"11." Santana said for me as we exited the house. We ran towards my car and got in. "Okay so route 13, open road. There's construction so no one's going to be out there."

"Secluded area? Sure you're not going to kidnap me?" Santana laughed and reached over to rest her hand on my thigh. "So, driving? It can't be that difficult right? I mean you did it." Santana tried to glare at me but she faltered and started laughing again.

"Stop making me laugh munchkin; I can't focus on the road." She chastised. I continued to poke her as she drove, but we made it out to the open roadway in no time. Santana opened her door and we switched places. I felt very small in the driver's seat but with Santana leaning over next to me, I didn't feel so frightened by the whole prospect of driving. "Okay so first…" She reached over and pulled on my seatbelt for me even though it would have been easier for me to do it myself. "So the car is in park, place your hand on the gear shift." I did as I was told and she placed her hand gently on top of mine. "Keep your foot on the break, okay, that way you can control the car easily." I nodded and awaited the next step. "Now all you have to do is shift it into _drive_."

"Wait! What if I crash your car? What if I kill us?" She kissed me fully on the lips.

"I trust you. Now-." She firmly placed her hand over mine and moved it back so that the car was in drive.

"The car isn't moving! Why isn't it moving! Oh God what did I do! I broke your car!" I shouted.

"Rae, baby you have your foot on the break." I looked down at my foot and blushed.

"Oh."

"Now, gently lift your foot off the break, slowly." I did what she said and we began moving. We couldn't have been going more than 5 miles per hour but we were still moving. I kept the steering wheel straight and after about thirty seconds a smile began to form on my face.

"This is easy." I said.

"That's cause you're going like negative 80 miles per hour." If I wasn't afraid of taking my hands off the wheel I'd smack her. "You ready to press the gas?"

"Born ready." I'd learned to fake confidence from Quinn; she told me she did it all the time.

"Do it." I didn't realize what _flooring it_ meant until right now. We were speeding down the road and I knew right away that I didn't have complete control over the car, but Santana had her hand over mine and I knew that she'd protect us both if she needed too. When I reached 60 miles per hour and Santana was cheering me on from the side. "Break now." She whispered in my ear and I did exactly as I was told. Once the car had come to a complete stop and Santana shifted it back into park. We sat in silence for a little while before Santana grinned at me. "How was it?"

"Thrilling." I told her truthfully.

"Thrilling?" Santana said in a husky voice. "Come here." She pressed open mouthed kisses down my neck and I smirked in response. I climbed over the gear shift and straddled her hips. She reclined back her chair and wrapped her arm around my neck and pulled me in for a kiss. I loved when her hands roamed my body. I loved when she slipped her hand under my shirt and touched me. I didn't care if she was rough or even gentle like right now, it just felt amazing when she did.

"Wait, did you bring me out here just for…."

"I have my own apartment you know, we could've just gone back there." She reminded me.

"Yeah but you probably have a thing for adventure." I said lifting my shirt over my head. "Do you like this?" I asked showing off my new pink bra.

"I like it…" She started before trailing kisses down my stomach. "But I'd love it if it was off."

…

Charlie's POV

"I'm gay, she's gay, you're gay, we're all a bunch of gaymos." I took another sip of my tea and looped my arm around Brittany's shoulder.

"Excuse me, when did I become gay?" I nudged Sam and Brittany pinched his cheeks.

"Point being, there are a lot of guys out there. You just have to be willing to look for them. I mean not a lot of people will look at you and have their gaydar go off." I told him honestly. "Britt and I will take you to a bar sometime. Whenever you feel like it."

"But we're only 16; they won't let us in a bar." I smirked at Dave's nativity. He had a lot to learn.

"Knowing Charlie she knows a guy who knows a guy who can get you a fake ID." I looked over at Sam, slightly offended by his implications. "You've got a rep." He said when he saw the look I was giving him.

"Give her a break, she's stopped smoking, hanging out with Wilson, and drinking on weekdays, I'm proud of my baby." Brittany said kissing me on the cheek.

"Sickening." I looked over to see Quinn walking in the _Lima Bean_. She didn't even stop to say hi to Sam before she went over to grab herself a cup of coffee. As Quinn made it back to the table to join us I could tell that something was bothering her. "Guess who I ran into."

"Who?" I asked all eager beaver to hear what Quinn had to say. Usually she'd just up and say it, but the fact that she was trying to be secretive let me know that something interesting really had happened.

"Mrs. Lopez." I felt like the air had been knocked out of my lungs. Mrs. Lopez?

"What?! What'd you say to her? How was she? Did she ask about Santana? Where does she live now? Is the divorce-."

"Babe calm down." Brittany said covering my mouth with her hand.

"What are you on meth or something? You're tweaking like a freak, Jesus. I only talked to her for like 30 seconds tops." Quinn said taking a sip of her coffee.

"Jesus Quinn would you continue, the anticipation is giving me hives." I said trying to get Quinn to speed things up. I wasn't one for beating around the bush, and with the look that Sam was giving Quinn too, neither was he.

"She moved to Columbus, I didn't get a chance to ask about the divorce, but that's nowhere near any of my damn business. I told her how San was doing and she seemed proud." Quinn was keeping it short and concise which made me wonder if there was more to the story.

"What happened when you told Santana?" Sam questioned. Quinn shifted in her seat and took a sip of her coffee.

"For fuck's sake." I said letting out a frustrated sigh.

"What?" Brittany, Dave, and Sam said in unison.

"You didn't tell her? You know what she's going to do to you when she finds out? Punch a hole through your freakin skull. Call her right now and fucking tell her." I demanded. I may have been overstepping but I didn't want more drama especially right now. With only a month since Santana's return, I felt like we all needed a cooling down period.

"Charlie I'll crack your skull in half if you talk to me like that one more time." I knew she was getting defensive and it wasn't a pretty sight when we argued so I decided to just let it go. Sam and Brittany didn't have to calm us both down, and I didn't want to make Dave feel awkward.

"Well Britt and I are going to go. We have plans." I said almost abruptly. "Dave, think about our offer." Dave smiled and nodded. I waved goodbye to them and took Brittany's hand so we could exit the _Lima Bean _together. "Ready?" I asked.

"Hold it." Brittany grabbed my hat out of my hand and pulled it onto my head, covering my eyes with the fabric and kissing me on the lips. I smiled and grabbed her hips as she did so. "You ready to go?"

"Of course." I told her as she pulled my hat up so I could at least see.

"You'd tell me if these things bored you right?" Since when was Brittany self-conscious? This was ridiculous.

"Are you kidding right now? This is my favorite thing to do." I told her honestly. "Watching you dance is phenomenal. You're incredibly graceful and beautiful when you do. I love it, I adore it." She blushed and wrapped her arms around my neck.

"It's just a practice." She said shaking her head.

"I like going." I informed her.

"You can stay home or go to my place and eat up all the food in my house. Really it wouldn't bother me. Practice is just stupid."

"Not to me." I said kissing her cheek. "Now, let's get to it, I can't wait to see my baby dance."

…

Quinn's POV

"Pretty sure he's dead." I said as I leaned back in my chair. Basically half of the Glee Club was on the other side of the room, with Santana standing between Puck and Dave and Finn lying on the ground.

"What are you talking about?" Puck said furrowing his eyebrows.

"I don't know why don't you punch him again and figure it out?" Puck was pissed but so was I. He didn't have to go ahead and start wailing on Finn like that, Dave was just getting emotionally strong enough to fight his own damn battles, and Puck did not need to do it for him.

"I don't know if you know this but when I'm angry I'll hit anything, genderless bias." Puck said rubbing his hand over his Mohawk.

"Try it." Santana dared him. "Dave would you take him outside and get him to cool off." Dave didn't want a huge fight so he did as Santana told him to. Right around now was when I wished that Sam wasn't in Tennessee visiting his grandparents and here instead, fixing this whole boy drama. "This shit is ridiculous." Santana muttered as she lifted Finn up to a standing position. "You alright?" From the looks of it his nose was broken, and he'd have one serious black eye if he didn't ice it soon, plus his lip was busted up pretty badly.

"Does he look alright? Looks like his face got run over by a freakin motorcycle." I said.

"Shut up." Finn sputtered out.

"You've got one black eye, you want another?" I threatened. "God would you go to the nurse already?" Finn glared but didn't protest further. I felt like a queen sitting in my chair and watching as everyone seemed to do exactly as I said. "Where's Shue anyway?"

"Who knows?" Kurt said with a shrug.

"Who cares, he probably would have just stood there and watched them fight like we all did anyway. Now can we get back to business?" I asked.

"It's hardly fair to choose a song when most of our male singers are gone." Rachel said.

"Hey! I'm still here." Kurt said putting his hands on his hips. I arched an eyebrow at his movement and he slouched. "Okay, point taken." Mike and Artie exchanged glances and smirked a little to themselves. So let's get out of here then, we won't get anything done especially if Rachel tries to take over and Santana threatens us into submission again."

"Okay that happened once." Santana defended.

"But he has a point; we'll meet tomorrow and figure it all out then." Artie said.

"I'm with him." Mercedes said snapping her fingers like that was the final sign to start packing up and leaving. Santana was just about to grab Rachel and take her home when I stood in front of her.

"What's your deal?" I questioned. At this point everyone had left besides the three of us. I'd feel more comfortable if I could have a one on one, but I didn't mind that Rachel was there, maybe she'd actually back me up.

"Um…not following." Santana said.

"You know what the hell I'm talking about. You going all mother dove on Finn. You should've let Puck rip him a new one for what he said to Dave." Santana rolled her eyes and looked over my shoulder at Rachel.

"Rae, here are my keys, bring the car around front." She said tossing the keys to an eager looking Rachel. She skipped out of the room probably pissing her pants with excitement that Santana was letting her drive her car alone. Once Rachel was gone and Santana starred at me for a total of 42 seconds, she started talking again. "Alright so what's up?" Santana was doing that thing where she started distancing herself. She did it when I asked her about bruises before, so it actually frightened me that she was doing it again.

"What do you mean what's up? I just told you. Why did you give a shit about Finn?" I questioned.

"I've been having nightmares, did I tell you that?" She turned away from me and ran her fingers through her hair.

"Nightmares? What do you mean?"

"Sometimes I fucking wake up on my kitchen floor screaming like a goddamn lunatic." I looked down at the ground. "And I know it's because of _him_, but I'm fucked up Q, and that's that." She grabbed her backpack and pulled it over her shoulder. "Seeing Finn getting the shit beat out of him, it hit a little too close to home, you get me?"

"Wait shouldn't you like…talk to someone about this?" I asked.

"Someone like who? A fucking shrink?" Santana scuffed.

"And that's such a bad idea? Come on, does Rachel even know about these nightmares? Ask her dad, I'm sure he knows someone who could help."

"I don't have health insurance right now, I can't afford that shit. Besides for once everything is good, this is minor, I'm just happy I haven't gotten any major news recently. I need things to stay calm like this otherwise I'd lose it." I thought about seeing her mom, that was certainly major news, but I didn't plan on burdening her with it, that'd probably screw up her life again. I knew when to fight my battles and when to talk and now wasn't the time. Maybe in the future, but certainly not now.

"So how's the dwarf?" I asked.

"Stop pretending that you're not her friend. I know you guys hang out all the time now." Santana said.

"I just miss all the nicknames for her." I said shrugging.

"Well she doesn't."

"No need to get defensive. I know you're banging her but you call my boyfriend Trouty Mouth, so all's fair in love and war." I said with a smile.

"You call him that too." Santana reminded me. "Anyway what's your plans for tomorrow?"

"Why are you asking me that shit? Bigger question what are _your_ plans tomorrow? It's your birthday loser. Do something fun." I encouraged her. "What's Rachel doing for you?"

"Nothing, because she doesn't know it's my birthday and I'd much like to keep it that way." Santana didn't just give me a sob story about how she was traumatized by her abuse I would have smacked her.

"What? Why? Do you understand the concept of birthday sex? She'll probably let you tie her up, come on tell her moron." Santana smiled and checked her phone.

"Don't tell her." Santana warned. "I'll see you later, when you Skype Sam tonight tell him that I have the recipe for his mom. Traditional dish."

"Classy, well I'll see you later." Santana wrapped me into a hug before she trotted out of the room. Like I always I hoped for a better future or at least one where Santana didn't hide her birthday from someone she loved. Honesty was key, and I'm just starting to understand that concept. I picked up my phone. "Yes…of freakin course, trust me for once will ya? I've got everything covered."

…

Santana's POV

"Wake up." Rachel whispered in my ear again. If I really wanted to get up I could have, but I wanted to keep her arms around me. I never imagined that waking up next to her would make me feel like this, and certainly not every single time. But I felt it, every time she touched me in the morning, the warmth spread around my body and I couldn't stop myself from smiling. "San, wake up." My eyes fluttered open and I rolled over so I could kiss Rachel.

"Hmm you taste yummy." I mumbled before kissing her again.

"Stop it goober, I made you breakfast." Rachel rolled out of the bed and grabbed my hands, forcing me to stand up. She pulled me behind her as we walked into the kitchen. My eyes were still half closed, that was until I saw bacon and a large mound of blueberry pancakes, with strawberries and whipped cream on top.

"Holy shit." I exclaimed. "Rae, you didn't have to do this."

"I did, now sit down." I did as I was told and smirked when Rachel grabbed a fork and feed me a forkful of the delicious treat. I felt like I was literally melting as I consumed every last bit. "Like it?" Rachel asked once I'd finished eating it all.

"Stop spoiling me." I said.

Rachel laughed and took the _Cool Whip_ can and sprayed some on her neck. "Want more?" I must have sat there dumbfounded for a solid thirty seconds, before I charged towards her and eating all the whipped cream off her neck. I lifted her up easily, grabbing the can of _Cool Whip_ as I did. I laid Rachel down on her back and she looked up at me through those thick eyelashes of hers.

"This would be much easier if you didn't have clothes on." I told her.

"I would but-." There was loud banging on my apartment door. "I sort of invited a few people over." I looked down at what I was wearing. Pajama pants and a t-shirt. I needed to change if people were coming over.

"I'll get it." Rachel said jumping up and rushing out of the room, closing the door so I could have some privacy as I changed. Jeans and a black v-neck would do. A shower was out of the question but I brushed my teeth, combed my hair, and put on deodorant. That'd just have to do.

I went to go open my door but I paused when I heard muffled voices. "Rae, baby girl, how many is a few-?" I wasn't able to finish because as soon as I opened the door an entire crowd of people shouted

"Surprise!" There was the entire Glee Club plus Charlie standing in my living room holding presents and food and to be honest I was shocked.

"Happy birthday loser." Quinn added as she gave me a smile. "Now somebody crank the music up or feed me food whichever is easier." Puck got on the sound system and Brittany and Mike were quick to start showing off their dance moves. I greeted everyone of course, thankful that they'd all showed up. I was touched actually but there was one person that I needed to talk to specifically.

"So who spilled?" I asked sitting on my couch next to Rachel who was trying to use a cup to cover her smile.

"Brittany." Rachel said leaning her head against me. "But I knew way before that. Is it okay that I did this? I mean you seemed secretive about it, is this okay?" I studied Rachel's eyes, realizing that she was still tentative around me, even after all this time.

"It's just that…I've never…I mean…" How do I say this? Do I just come out with it? "I've never had a birthday party."

"What? So that means this is your-."

"First." I looked up just in time to see Brittany flipping Charlie over her shoulder and Dave telling Quinn about how he and Kurt will be student leaders of GSA next year. "There are balloons here." I said with a grin. "Will it be weird if I hold on, I love balloons." Rachel stole a balloon from Puck who objected profusely and handed it to me.

"Like I said you're a big goober." I saw Finn walked over and sit on a stool in my kitchen, he looked sort of upset so I told Rachel I'd be right back. I walked over and sat down next to him.

"Rockin party." He said raising his glass at me. I nodded in agreement and nudged him.

"Why the long face?"

"So why'd you defend me?" He asked.

"Answering a question with a question? Grade A obnoxious." I said with a smirk. "I defended you because I've been beaten while I was down and it feels like shit. Is that a good enough answer? Cause I don't want to get into this on my birthday."

"Nope I get it." Finn said with a nod. "I'm happy for you though…honestly. You deserve any and every amazing thing in the world." I hated the fact that even Finn Hudson could get sappy and I sort of still wanted to punch him, but instead I grabbed his cup of vodka and soda and stood up on my counter.

"Hey! Can I say something?" Puck rushed to cut the music and all eyes landed on me. I cleared my throat and smiled. "I just wanted to say that I'm really happy that you all could be here. I know that we've had our ups and downs, mostly downs actually, but…to know that in the end I've got you all at my side makes me feel amazing. Being one year older, it's crazy, but I've learned a lot about myself." I started before looking down at Rachel. "And about others. I couldn't be happier about the Glee Club, how far we've come, and yeah people call us losers and slushy us or whatever, but…I'd rather be a loser than nothing at all-."

"Here here." Puck cheered.

"So this is a party right? And we're all pretty fucking boss on vocals, so Rachel would you do us the honors." I jumped off the counter and wrapped my arm around her.

"I thought you'd never ask, Quinn count us off."

"And a 5, 6, 5, 6, 7, 8…"

**So here's the deal. I'm not done with Wake, well I'm done with this particular story, but I'm certainly not done with this storyline. Basically what I'm trying to say can be summed up into one word: sequel. Here's the catch, I have a few stories I do have to finish first, so I can't tell you when I'll start this sequel, but it probably won't be for a bit. Here's the other issue, I'm really thinking of doing the sequel about them being in college, is that alright? Other ideas? If so just tell me. Again you all rock.**

**P.S. In the meantime, between this and whenever I start writing the sequel, inbox me on tumblr if you want a one shot for these characters related to 'Wake' or actually related to anything. Just let me know. My tumblr name is: tryflashback.**

**Review Please.**


	37. Chapter 37

**Okay so one tiny tidbit that is actually really important. In the original story, I said that they were all sophomores, but I'm gonna pretend they were juniors. It's just a small thing, so I won't have a 2 year gap between Wake and Otherside , the sequel (working title, just whenever you see that I've published a new pezberry story, it's the sequel to Wake). This section right here is really a quick chapter, set between the two stories. It's set the summer before college. Enjoy.**

Charlie's POV

"Where is she?" I asked Santana who was laying facedown on my bed with a hoodie over her head. I threw my shoe at her, hitting her directly on the back, and forcing her to roll over.

"She's at this music camp, or something, look I don't really know." Santana explained. I crossed my arms over my chest and frowned. This wasn't right. Over the past few years, I've come in close contact with a lot of wrong, so I knew as soon as Santana told me that this was wrong.

"Are you fucking listening to yourself? Seriously, listen to yourself you prick. You can't do this, it isn't right. You can't just leave it like that; she didn't even get the chance to fight for you-." Santana jumped to her feet and got in my face.

"Shut up Charlie!" I could tell she was getting annoyed with me. I knew that I was pushing the issue, but it had to be pushed. Santana must be living in some alternate universe. She clearly didn't understand what she'd done. "And don't try to tell me what my motives were. Fuck you, honestly." She tried to walk away but I grabbed her arm to stop her.

"Santana wait-."

"No." She pushed me away and I stumbled backwards, barely regaining my balance before I hit my bed. "I can't talk about this, not now. Rachel and I can't be together, not if I'm like this. She understands, so where the fuck do you come in?"

"Fine, don't listen to me, this isn't my business." I said feeling slightly defeated. I didn't want to get into an argument with San, I just wanted to explain to her that she was making a mistake. Breaking up with Rachel was a stupid move. How could Santana expect to have the support she needed, if the one person she loved more than anything wouldn't be right by her side?

There were other reasons I guess. Rachel going to NYADA must be one of them. Santana and Quinn are going to NYU and Brittany's going to be studying dance at Julliard while I pick up a job, hopefully, while I'm staying there too.

"I had to let her go." Santana said quietly.

"You don't let her go, you pushed her away." I informed her.

"I had to protect her." Santana replied.

"Maybe you should've thought about protecting her before you two feel in love." I went into my closet, pulled out my suitcase, and started throwing clothes into it.

"What the hell are you doing?" Santana asked. "You're not supposed to be leaving until mid-August."

"I know that dipshit; I'm staying at your place for a bit." I knew she'd protest and complain, but I didn't care. I needed a change of scenery. "Quinn's out with Brittany shopping or something girly like that, let's play video games and grab a pizza." It was more like I was asking her to buy me stuff, but I knew she wouldn't mind.

"I just want to be alone for a bit." She'd been alone for the past week. I wanted to ask her about her first session. I wondered how it went. Who was her psychologist, what was his name? Or her name. She still hasn't told anyone yet.

"Are you gonna talk about it?" I asked her suddenly getting the urge to open a window. Santana's eyes darkened and she shook her head no. "You didn't just decide to see a shrink out of the blue, something happened. I know something happened."

"Stop asking me questions, just…please stop." I ended the conversation at that. I was still coming over to her condo to stay there for a while, she was going to be annoyed about it, but she wouldn't stop me. I picked up my suitcase and nodded for Santana to follow me downstairs. She dragged her feet but she followed me. "I found out who my roommate is at NYU. Her name's Claire, wanna facebook stalk when we get back to my place?"

"Yeah, is that even a question?"

…

Rachel

I knew she'd break my heart. Somehow I just knew it. I should've listened to her, I knew I should've just listened. It didn't matter, everything she said about love and never letting me go, it didn't matter because she did. I couldn't help her through her pain, I never could, but I didn't think she'd break up with me. I didn't think she'd push me away like this.

I had to lie to her. I had to lie to everyone about taking a vacation with just my dad in Vermont. We had a summerhouse out here, and it was beautiful and secluded, just what I needed right now. Of course my father new about the break up, how could he not with the way I've been acting?

Distant.

That's how Santana acted before she told me we needed to talk. She didn't even have me over at her condo much in the last few weeks of our relationship. And her reasoning was just…nothing like Santana. I could tell she wanted to kiss me goodbye too, but she didn't and it hurt to see her walk away from me, she didn't even turn back.

Why didn't she turn back? Why didn't she say that she was making a huge mistake?

"Honey, do you want to go for a hike? It's not good being cooped up like this. Come on, grab your boots." It wasn't a request. I knew my father was outdoorsy and it killed me to have to follow his instructions, but I could use the fresh air. I pulled on my boots and followed him out of the house.

It was warm outside. Not hot, but warm. My father and I walked in silence, for as long we could. Until the silence hurt. "Dad…I don't think I'll ever be able to love again." He gave me this expressionless look, it told me all I needed to know.

"Rachel, don't ever say that-."

"I trusted her too much. I fell for her too quickly. I loved her too easily. I did everything you told me not to…dad you were right." He grabbed onto my hand and held onto it. I think I knew what he was thinking, but I was too scared to say something about it. He'd talk when he wanted to. He'd calculate and determine the correct words to say, I'd just have to wait.

"I was wrong." He said furrowing his eyebrows. "I thought that you two were…well let's just say you're not the only one who believed in fairytales." He explained.

"That's what she'd say. She told me life was never like a fairytale." I started. "I feel so stupid."

"Why?" That seemed like a dumb question to ask. I was stupid because I fell for the wrong girl. Even when she warned me herself not to. I did anyway, and look where it got me. "Don't just look at it from your side. Think in two different perspectives."

"If I call her, she won't answer." I told him. "How do I ask without asking?"

"Give her time. We both know she's had some emotional struggles in her past. If worst comes to worst, then you'll both be in New York. You share the same friends, she won't be a stranger to you I can promise you that." He said with a confident smile. "She loves you, that'll never change."

"Are you ready to let me go dad?" I asked him.

"Your daddy and I are trying to figure out how we're going to make it when you're in New York. We're thinking of picking up knitting." He was holding back a laugh, but I didn't have the power to do so. "Laugh all you want, but your daddy's serious."

"For the love of God-." I started trying to hold back my laughter.

"When I suggested a book club he called me ridiculous. You know how he gets when he's not running the show. I'll let him have this one." My dad said as we reached the edge of the forest and the only thing that stood in front of us was a lake.

"Is it weird, dad?" I questioned out of the blue.

"Is what weird?" He replied.

"That I'm all grown up. I mean I'm going to be on my own in a month." I picked up a pebble and tossed it into the lack.

"You're still my baby girl, Rachel." He said wrapping his arm around my shoulder. "And you always will be."

…

Quinn's POV

I guess I figured out how to handle everything without hurting anyone. I loved Sam. I truly did, but he was going to UCLA to play football, and we were both realistic people. We love one another but we had to let each other go. It was the right thing to do, and we both knew and were okay with it.

Charlie and Brittany were the last one's standing. Imagine that.

"You know why I have a problem with her? It's because her name is Belle. That's the name of a serial killer you know. She'll probably kill me in my sleep." I told Brittany as she paid for her ice cream and turned around to face me. She had her eyebrow arched and it looked like she was about to say something, but then she just shrugged. "Yeah, go ahead and shrug now, when you find my body, chopped up and in the fridge you'll wish you didn't shrug now."

"You're just as dramatic as Rachel." Brittany said.

"Well excuse me for being nervous about my first roommate." I said crossing my arms over my chest.

"Have you ever thought that maybe you're just nervous about being away from Charlie?" Brittany questioned as she took a bite out of the cone.

"Ugh no!" I exclaimed.

"So that's a yes." She mumbled. "Look we won't be that far away from one another. Just because Charlie's living with me, doesn't mean that you two won't hang out all the time."

"I loathe you right now." I muttered.

"I love you too Quinnie Bear." Brittany said with a grin. "Oh Charlie just texted…" She said peering down at her phone. "She's gonna stay with San for a little bit." Brittany had a small smile on her face.

"Why are you smiling like that?" I asked.

"Cause I think it's cute when Charlie and San hang out. They both think they're so tough, when they're totally not." Brittany quickly replied to Charlie via text and we got up to go back to my car. I wanted to put all the new clothes I'd just bought right into my suitcases and check off my college list.

"I still can't believe Santana broke up with Rachel." I said before we stepped out onto the sidewalk.

"It's more complicated than we know probably. I mean don't you think so? Santana's not telling us something." I looked into Brittany's eyes and we both looked away at the same time. The same thought popped into our minds. "Not like that." She said quelling my fears, but not diminishing them. "I didn't mean like that."

"She kept that from us for years." I reminded Brittany.

"She said she'd be honest with us, remember Quinn?" We got into my car at the same time, and I put the key into the ignition. I felt like stalling, I didn't want to answer her question.

"She also told Rachel that she loves her." I replied.

"She does."

"Don't be naïve Brittany." I squeezed the steering wheel tighter. "I'm sorry…God I'm just not having a good day."

"It's okay Quinnie Bear, I understand." Brittany said with a small smile. "Why didn't you get ice cream with me Quinn?"

"I'm trying not to start the freshman fifteen early. Without cheerleading, I need to attempt to stay in shape. Maybe I should pick up a new sport in college." I said thinking about what I could do. College was for a new start all together. No more cheerleading for me, but that didn't mean athletics were all out of the question. I was interested in joining clubs, but I needed more to keep myself busy.

"What about field hockey? You played in middle school right?" Brittany asked.

"I mean I was the goalie, but I didn't even think about that. Maybe I'll walk on." I suggested.

"Walk on what?" She questioned as she cocked her head to the side.

"Nothing B." I mumbled shaking my head. "So B, what do you wanna do tonight?"

"Can we go out with Dave and Kurt?" Brittany asked as she bounced up and down in her seat. "I love when we go out with them. Kurt is so funny, and Dave's totally cool."

"Yea of course I'll call them." I said with a smile. "Hey B."

"Yea Quinnie."

"Let's spend as much time together this summer as possible. I would never admit this to Santana and if you tell Charlie I'll kill you but…I'm sorta scared for college." I started as I pulled into my driveway. "I mean, high school is easy. I was popular the whole time, but a brand new start, that's different."

"Don't be scared of a new experience." Brittany told me. "Just embrace it."

…

Santana's POV

"You're not even being rational right now." Charlie as I started packing my bags. I felt cramped here in Ohio, so I put my place up for rent and I was going to spend the remaining two weeks of summer at Olivia's apartment. I needed the hustle and bustle of New York to get me out of this slump.

"What's the big fucking deal? I visit my sister all the time now, so why can't I now?" I asked. I pushed past her and pulled my bag over my shoulder. "Look, this isn't just about spending time with Olivia. Rachel's back in town and I wouldn't know what to do if I ran into her."

"So you're running away again?" Charlie questioned harshly. Okay so I was taking the easy way out. If she was in my shoes, she would've done the same thing and she knows it. It's so goddamn easy for her to judge me now that she'd suddenly become the shinning example. Right about now all I wanted to do was punch her. She was acting insensitive, and it wasn't helping her case.

"Why can't I be selfish for a change?! Why is it that whenever I try and do something for myself you get to act all high and mighty?" I didn't want to fight with Charlie but she was making me do this. She never saw both sides of things, it was why we'd been growing apart over the last few months. I could tell that things would be different in New York. Maybe I should just isolate myself from everyone.

"It's not selfish if you're hurting someone." I rolled my eyes and started heading downstairs. I needed out of this place right now. "Okay fine…you win." She shouted after me as I reached my car. "But this is about something else."

"So what if it is?" I asked her as I got in. She quickly got into the passenger's side before I could drive off.

"What the fuck, I thought we were close."

"We were." I told her before looking straight ahead. "But a lot has changed."

"Not that much." Charlie said grabbing my shoulder. "We jeez, what are you saying? We're not friends?"

"I never said that-."

"You don't have to!" Charlie snapped. "I've been noticing it for weeks. You never want to hang out with us anymore. You bailed on Brittany. We didn't do a damn thing to push you away; you're bringing this on yourself."

"I don't care; I don't care about anything anymore." I reached over her and opened the door. "Get out."

"We were there for you…we were always there for you." Charlie spat out. "I'm done with you San. And if you act like this to everyone else…we all are."

…

"So let's see, you broke up with the love of your life, you're seeing a shrink, and you have no friends. Welcome to rock bottom, we have cookies down here." Olivia said as I laid down on the couch. She was waiting by the counter for the Chinese food to come while I was taking snapshots of random objects in the room. "To be fair you sorta hit rock bottom a while back to, so at least you know your way around."

"Would you please shut up?" It sounded too much like a question and I wished I had said it with a meaner tone.

"My house my rules twerp." She grabbed a beer out of the fridge and took a few sips before continuing. "That Rachel girl was so cute though, you guys were adorable."

"Thanks for reminding me."

"I'm just saying." She said with a shrug. "Plus, whatever bullshit excuse you gave her probably doesn't help your case." I sat up straight and took a picture of her.

"I can't change what happened." I reminded her. "I loved her but I didn't cherish her. Deep down you understand where I'm coming from. It's the same reason that you have never been in a stable relationship." She seemed caught off guard but I kept going. "Because we never learned how to properly love. When I learn how to do that then…then I figure the rest out."

"It'll be too late."

"I have to risk it." I told her. "Everyone gets second chances right?" I asked her. I couldn't help but think about our parents and how they got well over two chances with us. So if they could then so could I.

"Not everyone San." Olivia replied. "But it's a two way street, remember that. You always have to give to get…the law of the land."

"At least it's the law in New York." I said with a small smile.

"Welcome to the Empire State, don't let it swallow you whole."

**Okay so I know this totally felt like a filler and maybe not so great, but I think it was kind of important to have. Review and let me know what you think. I know a lot of you wanted a college sequel so I hope where I'm going is what you're looking for. **


End file.
